


all i see is you (with fresh eyes)

by soobiscuits



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: M/M, ft. baekhyun's halmeoni!, it's also a low-key kyungsoo appreciation fic (somehow)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-27
Updated: 2017-07-27
Packaged: 2018-12-07 14:06:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 24,896
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11625126
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soobiscuits/pseuds/soobiscuits
Summary: Baekhyun loves dimples. Yixing has dimples. The problem is, they're rivals.





	all i see is you (with fresh eyes)

**Author's Note:**

> To prompter: I am so sorry I ran so far away with the prompt ;;; I hope the length makes it up to you!
> 
> To the mods: Thank you for organising this amazing fest to celebrate the boys!
> 
> To everyone else: Please enjoy! <3

Baekhyun slams the door behind him, not bothering to toe off his sneakers before stomping past a rousing Kyungsoo to throw himself, bag and all, onto his unmade bed. Sliding his hands under his pillow, he screams into it. 

“How did he get on your nerves today?”

Kyungsoo’s voice wafts to Baekhyun’s ears and Baekhyun stops screaming. He contemplates whether to answer, but knowing his roommate and his dislike to be kept in the dark (plus his tendencies to not cook Baekhyun’s meals and do his share of the laundry when that happens), Baekhyun knows better than to not give an answer. “He beat me at Mr Kim’s math test,” he mumbles, tugging the pillow from under his head to wrap his arms around it, before hugging it to his chest. “ _Again._ ”

A sigh comes from Kyungsoo’s bed and Baekhyun pointedly continues to fixate his eyes on a crumpled piece of paper on the floor, in the space between the room’s two beds, pretends to have not heard Kyungsoo’s sigh and how _knowing_ it had sounded. Baekhyun regrets ranting to Kyungsoo about everything that has to do with this… _matter_ all those months ago when it all started.

“I’m not surprised to hear that,” says Kyungsoo after a moment of silence. In his peripheral vision, Baekhyun sees Kyungsoo sit up, hugging his own pillow to his chest like Baekhyun. The facial expression on Kyungsoo’s face seems to be that of pity, or a thoughtful one; Baekhyun isn’t sure since he’s not looking—doesn’t want to, honestly—at his roommate who, on the other hand, definitely has his eyes on him (there is a familiar Kyungsoo-type heat burning his face). “We all know how smart he is, and how hard-working he is despite his brilliance.”

Baekhyun whines. Loudly. He also drags it out longer than he should, earning himself another pillow for Kyungsoo throws his over, hitting Baekhyun rather hard in the head. Baekhyun briefly sees stars behind his eyes but quickly recovers to hug his ‘new’ pillow to his chest as well, burying his chin between the two pillows. He stays silent, eyes still transfixed on the crumpled piece of paper on the floor. A red ‘95’ stares back at him. Baekhyun unconsciously grits and grounds his teeth.

“Hyun…” 

It’s as though Kyungsoo’s endearment of his name ( _it’s most definitely not a fucking endearment_ , objects Kyungsoo. [But Baekhyun knows otherwise.]) switches on Baekhyun’s complaining-slash-ranting-slash-grumbling mode, and it doesn’t take more than a second later for Baekhyun to _unleash_ it. “But I was the smartest! I was the best at math! I was the best at Korean! And what the _fuck_ , Soo, does it make sense for him—a _Chinese_ transfer from China—to be better at my native language than _I_ am?”

Baekhyun’s lived with Kyungsoo long enough to know when his best friend-slash-roommate is going to reply, and he looks up at the same time Kyungsoo opens his mouth to say, “You’ve already mentioned the keyword— _was_.” Then Kyungsoo _tsks_ , “Also, that’s a very horrible thing to say, when we all know that he’s been living in South Korea for half his life and is probably– no, _definitely_ more proficient at our native language than us Koreans.” The sharpness in Kyungsoo’s tone strangely forces Baekhyun to keep his eyes on Kyungsoo’s face, and Baekhyun finally sees clearly the expression on his roommate’s face—it’s pity. As always whenever they talk about _him_. 

“B-But!”

“We’ve had this conversation before, Baekhyun.” Kyungsoo lies back down on his bed, sliding an arm under his head to support it since his pillow has been sacrificed to shut Baekhyun up (and is currently, probably, held hostage as a consequence of hitting his head with it). “I’m not going to have it again for the god-knows-how-many time.”

“But! _Soo_!”

“Hyun, just–”

“I don’t wanna! I don’t want to!”

“–just admit that Zhang Yixing is better than you.”

 

\---

 

It all started about three months ago, about half a month after that— _ugh_ —Zhang Yixing transferred in from a neighbouring city. Baekhyun’s first impression of their new classmate, who hailed from Changsha, China, had been good— _very_ good in fact. He remembered being dumbfounded in that instance when Zhang Yixing stepped into the classroom, and Baekhyun’s eyes literally _sparkled_ (much like those girls who have heart eyes when they see handsome boys in animes), for the boy’s face was unlike any Baekhyun had seen before (an exaggeration, but, well). The way several strands of his soft-looking black hair fell over his seemingly small eyes, moving a little whenever he blinked; how his nose bridge had looked so high and attractive that made Baekhyun want to trace with a finger; the cute contrast of thickness between his upper and lower lips and Baekhyun definitely licked _his_ lips when he noticed that because, _well_ ; then, the transfer student, who seemed to have finished his introduction, smiled and— _oh my god just fucking kill me_ —out pops a dimple on his right cheek. 

It has been a well-known fact that Byun Baekhyun has a (damn huge) thing for people with dimples, be it one or two on those blessed faces. This fact arose from the numerous embarrassing... _encounters_ Baekhyun have had with those blessed persons, such as Park Chanyeol, Kim Myungsoo, and Kim Namjoon, just to name a few. The encounters (which were just Baekhyun singing of his utmost admiration of their adorable dimples on their beautiful visages in front of them and their lockers in the crowded hallway after school) didn’t end up so well, but Baekhyun gained several friends after so t’was okay. Which was why on that fateful morning, Baekhyun wasn’t surprised to find most of his classmates (including _the_ Park Chanyeol and _the_ Kim Myungsoo) turning to him the moment a fucking _dimple_ appeared on the Chinese boy’s face. Baekhyun recalled having pretended to have not felt all their knowing gazes (plus the ever-familiar Kyungsoo-type heat burning his face), choosing to focus all his precious attention on the good-looking boy whose face had been wonderfully blessed by the gods above. 

That was Day One. 

Unfortunately, by the end of Day Seventeen, Baekhyun’s supposed admiration for his newfound blessed person began to wane with the return of their second Korean language quiz since the arrival of their new classmate and said classmate had, for the second time, beat Baekhyun to achieve first in class for a _language that he’d only spoken for half his life_. Second-place-Baekhyun clearly remembered feeling ashamed for losing to a non-native; unlike his classmates who had congratulated the first-place holder, shame be damned. Day Twenty-one further dissipated Baekhyun’s feelings for Zhang Yixing, when the boy surprised everyone by beating Baekhyun _again_ , taking first place for Mr Kim’s math test (which even Baekhyun found challenging). 

Day Thirty-four cemented Zhang Yixing’s brilliance, and Baekhyun will never, ever forget how that fucking boy had _smirked_ at him while seemingly unknowingly flashing— _more like showing off_ —the ‘100’ on the most recent Korean language test. The smiley face drawn by Mr Jung next to the perfect score only served to enrage Baekhyun further. Fucking hell, Baekhyun hadn’t known how Zhang Yixing had done it, and, honestly, even till now Baekhyun _still_ has no idea how he had done it. ( _He must have cheated, or traded sex for grades or something_ , Baekhyun had surmised back then, earning himself a very hard whack on the back of the head from Kyungsoo for his immoral thoughts.)

And as if the gods above have not blessed Zhang Yixing enough, the boy just had to have amazing physique, and a sporty body to boot. Day Nineteen had piqued Baekhyun’s confusion when Zhang Yixing _singlehandedly_ scored a point off, arguably, the best basketball team in their class. It happened so quickly, the Chinese transfer student speedily avoided all five players, his footwork so fast yet _precise_ that no one saw him coming, and by the time everyone caught on, Zhang Yixing had already scored, pumping a hand into the air when the ball sailed through the basket. Baekhyun grudgingly recalled having pretended to not see how annoyingly adorable Zhang Yixing had looked grinning, dimple and all, when his teammates threw him up in the air in celebration after they won (with Yixing scoring most of the team’s points). 

The memory of Day Forty-one is something Baekhyun vehemently wishes he could erase off the face of the earth (but obviously can’t) because— _ugh, just thinking about it makes me so pissed_ —on that day, Baekhyun fell for Zhang Yixing. No, no, _no_ , it isn’t _that_ kind of ‘fell for’; not figuratively, but _literally_. Fucking Zhang Yixing had ( _definitely!_ ) tripped him while they were facing off one-on-one on the field during a physical education class, when Baekhyun was trying to steal the soccer ball from him but somehow he found himself falling forward a second later. He can’t remember much, but he thinks he had shut his eyes and (very embarrassingly) flailed his arms around wildly. Moments later, after realising that the cold, wet grass didn’t seem to be under him and he'd felt warmth instead, Baekhyun gingerly opened his eyes to find— _in utter horror!_ —Zhang Yixing under him. The boy had been smiling, fucking ~~adorable~~ dimple on display. Baekhyun has never ran away so fast before. 

Baekhyun hadn’t understood then, and he definitely doesn’t understand now why, _why_ Zhang Yixing, ~~blessed with good looks and an insanely adorable dimple,~~ seems to _love_ to torment him. Baekhyun just can’t come up with a reason to justify that boy’s actions, and it’s probably a mystery that no one can solve (not even Kyungsoo) unless Baekhyun asks Yixing himself. And it doesn’t take a genius to know that that’s never going to happen.

 

\---

 

It’s currently Day One Hundred and Four (yes, Baekhyun keeps count). 

Stumbling into the classroom, Baekhyun drags his sleepy self to his desk, blatantly ignoring the pair of eyes that follows him even until he’s practically sprawled out on his desk, bag carelessly left on the floor. He senses that someone is still watching him, but continues to ignore because Baekhyun knows who that pair of eyes belongs to and, honestly, he doesn’t give a fucking damn.

Even as the rest of his classmates stream into the classroom, their loud greetings of _good morning!_ disturbing his nap, the gaze that’s been on him since the instant he stepped into the classroom hasn’t disappeared. Heck, it hasn’t even _moved_. And Baekhyun would know because besides feeling it, he’s actually been sneakily peeking at the culprit from under his fringe and through the gaps of his fingers he has covered his face with.

Zhang Yixing has not stopped looking at him.

This isn’t the first time it’s happened. In fact, Baekhyun can’t seem to recall a morning where Yixing isn’t looking— _more like creepily staring_ —at him. It isn’t that Yixing has nothing to do. Their classmates do greet him and call on him during the short time period in the morning before lessons officially begin, and being the polite student he’s been since Day One ( _ugh_ ), Yixing always never fails to answer. While keeping his eyes on Baekhyun.

Kyungsoo begged to differ from Baekhyun’s take on _the way Zhang Yixing keeps staring at me like a fucking creep_ , argued that a) Yixing is definitely not a creep, b) Yixing might not be looking at Baekhyun per se ( _don’t think too highly of yourself, Byun_ ), and c) Yixing isn’t _staring_ , he’s _gazing_. When Baekhyun had been discussing with Kyungsoo, there was a twinkle in those large, round owlish eyes of his. It’s fucking unsettling and Baekhyun made it known, only to receive a pillow to his head. Kyungsoo seems to have mastered the skill of numbing Baekhyun’s skull with only a pillow. (Baekhyun is _not_ impressed, okay.) 

So as Baekhyun mulls over Kyungsoo’s argument, whilst still discreetly looking at Yixing who is still openly ~~staring~~ gazing at him, he finds himself drawn to Yixing’s eyes. He takes in the way they’re looking at him (or _in your direction_ , as Kyungsoo would have said to keep Baekhyun’s ego in check), realising (and reluctantly admitting) that there’s no creepiness in them. Not at all. In fact, Yixing looks… soft, content, and… happy, if the small smile playing across his lips and subtle imprint of the dimple on his right cheek are any indication. 

Quietly looking at Yixing like this brings Baekhyun way back to Day One, where the transfer had looked similar to how he looks like now. That sparkle in Yixing’s eyes as he took in the classroom and his new classmates is present right now, and, _oh_ , it isn’t that Baekhyun has been observing or anything, but he always sees Yixing’s eyes lighting up whenever something joyful happens. As for Yixing’s dimpled smile, it accompanies the sparkle sometimes. The appearance of his dimple doesn’t mean that Yixing is necessarily happy, since for as long he smiles, it’ll appear whether he likes it to or not. There have been times where Yixing smiles but the smiles don’t reach his ears, as though he’s not genuinely smiling from the bottom of his heart. Baekhyun doesn’t know what to think about those times. (And he most definitely _has not_ been observing despite all these… anecdotes.)

Yixing gazes at him for a while more, until the teacher for the first lesson of the day comes into the classroom and Baekhyun sees Yixing tearing his eyes away from him with a pout ( _huh?_ ), only to smile when Chanyeol, who sits in front of him, turns around and hands him a small paper box. Pushing himself off his desk as the teacher asks for everyone to take out their textbooks, Baekhyun continues to keep his eyes on Yixing, biting back a smile when Yixing carefully opens the box to find numerous sweets inside and an expected dimpled smile promptly forms on his blessed face. Yixing looks… adorable.

Baekhyun doesn’t realise that he’s been looking at Yixing until his eyes meet with another. Surprised, Baekhyun freezes for a split second then frantically breaks the eye contact to pick his bag up from the floor and take out his textbook. Flipping to the page (which he had to ask from the student next to him aka Myungsoo), Baekhyun tries to calm himself down. He places a hand over his heart, hoping that it’ll help, only to feel it thumping furiously under his palm. _Dammit!_ He wants to groan in annoyance, wants to shout in frustration, wants to go up to Zhang Yixing and clarify that _I wasn’t watching you okay I was just curious about the box that Chanyeol gave to you!_

Wants to dig a hole under his chair because Zhang Yixing has just caught Baekhyun looking  
at him.

 

\---

 

“Baekhyun!” 

Plucking out an earbud from his ear, Baekhyun lifts his head off his arm for a moment and waits to hear for more hollers from his grandmother who, despite going on to her seventies, possesses an impressive set of pipes. (Baekhyun thinks that’s where he gets his loudness from.) There are none, and Baekhyun stuffs the earbud back in his ear, goes back to watching the video on his phone. 

It’s about an hour later does Baekhyun emerge from his room with a yawn and goes down to their family’s bread store that’s situated right below their apartment, accessible via a staircase in the store’s storeroom. He proceeds to the storefront, immediately seeing his grandmother at the cashier, and he approaches her, the smile on his face disgustingly saccharine. 

“And how is my _lovely_ grandmother doing this afternoon?” Baekhyun slides right next to the elderly woman, resting an arm across her thin, narrow shoulders. He parts his legs, sliding them outward to lower himself to her height, his bright, youthful eyes making contact with her dim, wrinkled ones. “Great? Wonderful? _Sensational?_ ” And Baekhyun wiggles his brows in a way he knows makes people laugh in amusement. 

Alas, those _people_ don’t seem to include his grandmother. “I’m doing fine,” She replies, her expression impassive to Baekhyun’s exaggeratingly-funny facial expression. “But I know that I’ll be doing _great_ if my grandson came down to help his old grandmother with the heavy trays of bread.” _Ouch that stings_ , thinks Baekhyun as he gingerly removes his arm from his grandmother’s shoulders and leans away from her impressive deadpan expression ( _is this where Soo learns his from huh?_ ). Baekhyun’s grandmother’s hands are busy arranging the notes in the cash register, and even though Baekhyun wants to grab onto them and swing their joined hands between themselves, to act out the one aegyo that he knows makes people smile and give in to him, he knows better than to disrupt her. He’s had more than enough faded bruises to want to do that. So, instead, he takes to cleaning the trays on the counter. 

A customer walks up to the cashier then, and despite the pointed silence between the pair of grandmother and grandson, they work seamlessly together: Baekhyun receives the tray from the male customer, sets it down on the counter, and waits for his grandmother to register the bread before packing them in plastic bags while she punches in the prices on the cash register. The smile that forms on the elder’s face to wish the leaving customer to _have a good day!_ slips off when Baekhyun whines in her face, softly shaking her arm while doing so. “Don’t be angry at me anymore. I’m sorry! I’ll definitely come down the next time you holler for me, okay?” 

Baekhyun’s grandmother _tsks_ , “Like that’ll happen.” She steps around Baekhyun, and traipses over to where the croissants are. Baekhyun follows, a pout on his face, and he watches as she arranges them neatly, moves forward the ones at the back. She does the same for the donuts that are right beside, pointedly ignoring the boy who’s still following her like a puppy. “If I wait for you to come down an hour later, flies would have swarmed around the bread and we would have to shut down.”

“Aye, that’s not going to happen!” exclaims Baekhyun. “Our store is super clean, and hygienic, and everyone loves our bread! The store is the reason why I’m here, why Soo is here, too; _you’re_ the reason why he and I can go to school and have all the things we want.” He walks over to the area where the trays and tongs are, picks up a pair, and helps his grandmother to arrange the cranberry buns. “So, thank you, grandma.”

From the corners of his eyes, Baekhyun sees the elder woman look at him, her brows quirked in seemingly disbelief. Then, she bursts out laughing and Baekhyun can’t help but smile at that. Jabbing her elbow at Baekhyun’s arm, she sighs, “What a smooth talker my grandson is; I wonder where he gets it from.” A smile suddenly plays across her lips, and a thoughtful expression flits onto her face. “Though, that boy seems to be the opposite of you.”

Baekhyun’s head snap up from where he has been diligently arranging walnut loaves. “Boy? What boy?” He gently replaces the cover of that display and walks over to his grandmother. “What boy are you talking about, grandma?” 

She looks up. “The boy who helped me with the bread just now. He was in the store and offered to help when he saw me struggling to carry a tray while placing the sticks of donut balls in the display.” Her pair of tongs pointed to the mentioned bread, and Baekhyun’s eyes follow, narrowing when he returns his attention to his grandmother to find her smiling widely. “In the end, he helped for all of the trays.” And she proceeded to point to all the bread that she’s received help in placing. 

Chocolate loaves, milk buns, tuna buns, ham and cheese sticks, wholemeal loaves. Baekhyun takes in their arrangements, slightly displeased to see that they’ve all been placed rather neatly, much like how his grandmother usually does. He doesn’t want to admit it, but Baekhyun feels a tad jealous hearing all these praises of a boy he doesn’t know. His ego has taken a hit, and he wants to replenish the damage. Behaving seemingly nonchalantly, Baekhyun slides himself right next to the elderly woman again, and says, “That’s nice of the boy, whoever he is.” He doesn’t want to outright _ask_ of the boy’s identity, doesn’t want to show that he actually _cares_ about the boy who’d stolen his job and grandmother (an exaggeration but this is Baekhyun we’re talking about). So, Baekhyun decides to carefully phrase his sentence to bait his grandmother into revealing the information that he truly wants. He’s not first in almost every subject for nothing y’know—before Yixing came along, that is. 

As expected, the elderly woman takes the bait. And Baekhyun has to hold on to her arm for support, for his legs abruptly go weak the moment she opens her mouth and gives the information Baekhyun wishes he’d never fished for. 

“Oh, he’s a regular! You’ve probably never bumped into him since you _hardly help out_ , but Soo’s seen him before!” 

“Kyungsoo?”

“Yep. Tells me that he’s a classmate, and I wouldn’t have recognised him if not for him accompanying his grandmother the other day.” 

“Wait, I think I know–”

“Of course you do! The boy is Madam Zhang’s grandson! If I remember correctly, her grandson’s name is–”

Well. _Fuck._

“Zhang Yixing!”

 

\---

 

Day One Hundred and Thirty-Six. Baekhyun is on his way to his part-time job at one of the city’s four beverage joints. There is a rare spring in his steps, and Baekhyun can’t help but wear his joy on his face. The smile on his face is exceptionally wide, reaching his ears, and he can almost hear Kyungsoo’s comment which he’d received a little while ago after school of _please stop smiling that rectangular smile of yours it’s freaking me out as much as that bloody Chanyeol’s smile does._

Well, Kyungsoo will never understand the utmost happiness of _finally_ beating someone who’s been snatching first place from you, and, frankly, Baekhyun doesn’t need Kyungsoo to understand either. Also, who is Do Kyungsoo to dampen his mood? Nobody important, that’s what (no one tell Kyungsoo this _please_ ; Baekhyun wants to _live_ ). And so Baekhyun happily makes his way to his workplace, his rectangular smile etched on his face, concern of it freaking people out be damned. 

It’s been about five hours since Baekhyun started his shift, and it’s almost nearing dinnertime. He stares out at the almost-empty store, mentally counts the seven customers scattered within, and decides that it is possible to leave the cashier unmanned while he pops into the backroom to retrieve his grandmother’s bento dinner for him. It’s unfortunate, the number of customers, but the beverage joint where he works at usually doesn’t get much customers due to its wayward location. Though, Baekhyun honestly believes that his workplace is the cosiest and makes the best drinks (he just went on a monthly competition check with Boss Joonmyeon a while back). Which is why the joint survives on its regulars, and the nice passers-by who pop in to give this hole-in-the-wall store a try. And not that Boss Joonmyeon likes to brag or anything but he’s told his staff on more than one occasion that he very much thinks that they’re are also part of the reason why there are regulars; Kyungsoo is adorable (and mean) as fuck, and Baekhyun’s lattes bring the boys and the girls, and the men and the women back to the yard, while Chanyeol is just… tall. 

Baekhyun returns from the backroom with his lunchbox, fingers already prying open the lid in preparation to shove it into the microwave when he sees a customer standing in front of the register. As someone who takes his job seriously (despite his attitude), Baekhyun carefully sets his opened lunchbox next to the microwave and goes to his spot. “Hey! How may I–” He looks up as he nears the register, only to suddenly stop and fill the joint with the screech of his shoes. “W-What are you doing here?” 

The customer looks as flustered as he is, but Baekhyun isn’t going to be fooled by that. He slowly steps toward the cash register, caution seeping out from the soles of his shoes with every step and staining the concrete floor. His hands immediately find purchase in the edge of the counter, fingerpads pressing hard against the wood, heels of his palms paling as Baekhyun applies more and more pressure onto them. His eyes are hard and unyielding, lips pursed tightly, teeth gritting in his mouth. Baekhyun’s pretty sure he’s sending his message over to the customer loud and clear: _what the fuck are you doing here._

“For a-a drink,” says the customer, as though he could read Baekhyun’s mind (or he’s just replying Baekhyun’s question). “K-Kyungsoo mentioned that he works here, and Chanyeol too, so I thought I c-could drop by.” The customer blinks his eyes rapidly before looking away. His hands are wringing themselves and it doesn’t take all of Baekhyun’s (overtaken) brilliance to know that the customer is anxious and probably afraid. He wants to scoff at that because _what the hell is Zhang Yixing playing at?_

Swallowing his scoff, Baekhyun just rolls his eyes. “Fine, whatever.” He releases his hands from their places, only to realise with a wince that they hurt. Despite that, Baekhyun poises his fingers above the register screen. “May I take your order, then?” 

Yixing looks up at the menu installed above the counters, eyes shifting as he reads. While pondering, Yixing licks his lips, bites the lower one and sucks it into his mouth. Baekhyun’s eyes narrow at that sight, and he feels inexplicably irritated. “Can you hurry up, it’s my dinnertime and you’re preventing me from having it.” Baekhyun’s tone is harsher than he wanted, but it works, and Yixing is quickly blurting out his order, a sheepish smile on his face. The damned dimple appears briefly; Baekhyun feels even more annoyed. 

“Here, your grande sweet potato latte.” 

“Thank you, Baekhyun.” Yixing picks up the cup, the infuriating dimple appearing when he smiles. “Ah, also, congratulations on getting first place for Mr Jung’s korean test.” He gives Baekhyun a thumbs-up, before cradling the cup with both of his hands. The sight would have been cute and would have caused Baekhyun to coo because Yixing is smiling ( _dimple alert!_ ), but no, _nope_ , it’s Zhang Yixing, the boy who had easily stripped Baekhyun of all his achievements within months. He is a rival, and Baekhyun does _not_ and would _not_ think of a rival as cute. No. Never. 

Stewing in his thoughts, Baekhyun doesn’t register that Yixing’s walked away until he faintly hears a _have a good day at work and I’ll see you tomorrow_ , and by the time he turns his head in the direction of the gentle voice, Yixing’s already out the door and strolling past the joint’s glass windows. The cup is still cradled in his hands, and the small smile on his face is still there. Baekhyun’s mind suddenly whirs, and a single thought surfaces. 

_It’s as though the drink is a precious treasure._

Baekhyun stands at the pick-up counter, watches Yixing vanish out of sight, his eyes staying at the spot where the back of Yixing’s head was last seen. _Bye Yix–_ He snaps out of his reverie before slapping his cheeks, hard, mentally reprimanding himself with a _what the fuck are you doing Byun Baekhyun!_ It’s only when his stomach growls a minute later does he remember that he still has a lunchbox to microwave. Baekhyun whirls around, shoves it into the machine. And as he waits for the timer to countdown, Baekhyun pretends that his face isn’t warm, and the corners of his lips aren’t trying to rise. 

 

\---

 

It happens a couple of times more after that. 

Baekhyun doesn’t know how Yixing knows. He can’t answer his own question of _how_ Yixing seems to know the times of his shifts at the beverage joint, always turning up during his working hours with the same ol’ order of _a grande sweet potato latte please and thank you Baekhyun._

Yixing’s recurrent appearances gradually begin to grate on Baekhyun’s nerves, making him wonder if the warmth that assaulted his face as well as the smile that forced its way onto his face that first time Yixing dropped by the beverage joint were flukes, results of his brain going haywire because of the shock due to Yixing’s sudden visit. There was simply no way Baekhyun could have felt joy. There is no way Baekhyun would _ever_ behave like that day anymore, not when Yixing keeps choosing to drop by on the days where tests are returned, and Baekhyun—of course—spectacularly loses to Yixing on every single one. 

Those are the days where Baekhyun’s treatment towards Yixing takes a drastic turn for the worst. He doesn’t bother to look him in the eyes, silently completes the transactions without any form of verbal interaction. If there are no customers after Yixing, Baekhyun just leaves the register without a word, turns his back on the boy to prepare his order; if there are customers after Yixing, Baekhyun gruffly addresses them to _please wait a moment_ , then he prepares Yixing’s drink. Always, Yixing’s cup of sweet potato latte is placed at the pick-up counter without a call of his name, and as Baekhyun returns to stand at the register to take the next order, he tries not to notice how Yixing seems to look so, so sad each time. He doesn’t even cradle his cup with two hands, only uses one while the other hand cups his cheek. Baekhyun feels a familiar gaze resting on him, recognises it as Yixing’s since he’s felt it more than he wants to, but he doesn’t acknowledge him. He just goes back to his spot at the cash register to, either, fake-busy himself with counting the cash, or take the next customer’s order. 

Yet inexplicably, and without fail, Baekhyun would always dart his eyes to the closing door, following Yixing’s back as he walks down the street and away from the joint. He never faces Yixing directly, never makes eye contact, but Baekhyun is certain that Yixing is sad. And he doesn’t know how he knows that. Baekhyun refuses to dwell on that thought, though, shaking his head to clear his mind every time he watches Yixing disappear past the joint’s last glass window pane. 

On those days, after Yixing leaves with his drink, Baekhyun more often than not finds himself in a fouler mood than before Yixing arrived. He would snap at the customers, occasionally and unintentionally mess up orders, and space out in front of Boss Joonmyeon (earning himself time-outs to the backroom to _clear your head Byun_ ). Baekhyun doesn’t attribute the reason for his mistakes to Yixing, though. Doesn’t relate it to Yixing. Doesn’t even _want_ to think about the transfer student. 

Baekhyun will _never_ admit that he messed up because of Yixing. 

The consequences of his mistakes gradually accumulate, until eventually Baekhyun can’t take it any longer, and he finally puts in a request to Boss Joonmyeon for a change of shifts with another employee. The message is conveyed in the joint’s group chat and an hour later, Baekhyun’s shifts are exchanged with the joint’s newest recruit’s. Just like that, Baekhyun escapes from Yixing. He refuses to let himself think of Yixing’s reaction to his decision. Baekhyun refuses to let himself imagine just how sad Yixing might be because, after all, Yixing is his rival and Baekhyun definitely isn’t supposed to be feeling any form of worry or concern for him.

Zhang Yixing will _never_ affect Byun Baekhyun.

 

\---

 

 **Chanyeol:** why did u change shifts?

 **Baekhyun:** nothing. just wanted to work with someone else for once i suppose

 **Chanyeol:** aww how nice of u hyunnie  >///< i actually thought that u changed because u didnt like working with me and wanted to work with soo instead

 **Baekhyun:** i am not nice u ass and what????? soo????? i never knew that u and kyungsoo are BEYOND first name basis???

 **Chanyeol:** thats not the point here yknow  

 **Baekhyun:** then what is the point lol 

**Chanyeol:** the point is WHY u changed shifts???? like that was literally the first question i asked 

**Baekhyun:** ugh fine here. i changed shifts because i… just wanted to. wanted a new schedule. didnt want to remain stagnant. wanted to step out of my comfort zone. and i cant stand working with u sometimes. u and ur tall ass body keeps blocking me from my syrups

 **Chanyeol:** … why u piece of shit. fyi the feeling is mutual bcs I CANT STAND WORKING WITH U SOMETIMES TOO U AND UR SHORT BODY BLOCKING ME FROM THE SPRINKLES ANd the cups and the napkins

 **Baekhyun:** … right back at ya

 **Chanyeol:** yknow what i sense that ure just kidding me but fine. whatever. uve already changed so what can i do? also, joonmyeon is here and he says to not be late for ur new shift tmr or he’s docking ur pay. 

**Baekhyun:** fyi i have NEVER been late before so tell joonmyeon to chill

 **Chanyeol:** joonmyeon says that hes chill as fuck (his exact words) bcs it doesnt matter to him if ure late or not bcs he can always dock ur pay

 **Chanyeol:** MUAHAHAHAHAH is what he wants to type to u

 **Baekhyun:** fuck u boss 

**Baekhyun:** oh fuck wait pls dont say that to him PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THE THINGS THAT I HAVE DONE FOR U DONT SAY IT TO HIM OH GOD DONT FOR THE LOVE OF GOD SAY THAT TO HIM CHANYEOL AH YEOL AH YEOLLIE MY WONDERFUL FRIEND DONT SAY IT PLEASE

 **Chanyeol:** too late 

**Chanyeol:** ure fired

 **Chanyeol:** okay ure not fired but boss says to be prepared for hell tmr 

**Baekhyun:** fuck

 

\---

 

“The boy came by again.”

“Which boy?” 

“Madam Zhang’s grandson!” Baekhyun’s grandmother chirps, a smile playing across her wrinkled countenance. It brightens her face, and if it were any other time, Baekhyun would have been delighted to see his dear grandmother smiling so prettily like that. Unfortunately, this _isn’t any other time_.

“Ugh,” Baekhyun groans, rolling his eyes as he walks back to the counter and slides the emptied tray on top of the rest of the empty ones. He carelessly places the pair of tongs atop, the clatter of plastic on metal ringing loudly in the bakery. “Why does he keep coming here!? Does he not have anything better to do? Seriously.”

Baekhyun knows that his grandmother is glaring at him, for the back of his neck is prickling and rapidly heating up. He feels perspiration beginning to bead at his forehead, at his nape, on his back. Baekhyun reaches to the table fan that’s right next to the cash register, switches it on and adjusts its speed to the maximum. Baekhyun still feels warm. Ugh, dammit.

“I’m pretty sure he has things to do,” says the elderly woman. Baekhyun hears her annoyance. “But I'm still very grateful to him for helping me out when you _can't_.” And she sends Baekhyun a pointed look. 

Baekhyun blows a raspberry. “I was _working_ , grandma. I have a _job_.” He suddenly shivers. A moment later, a wrinkled hand reaches over the counter to adjust the fan’s speed. Baekhyun grins at his grandmother. The elder rolls her eyes, but breaks into a knowing smile. 

“I wasn't complaining,” She says, hands descending upon the trays but before she can get to them, Baekhyun already has them in his hands and he's stepping out of the counter to place them back with the rest of the trays at the front of the store. “I was just telling you so you won't worry about me while you're at work.”

“Where's Soo anyway,” Baekhyun asks, clearly changing the subject because he doesn't want to talk about Yixing helping out at his family’s bakery any longer. It's already strange enough that he keeps visiting Baekhyun during his shifts (which hasn't happened since the change; _yessss_ ), Baekhyun doesn't need to know that he's helping his grandmother out, too. “Wasn't he supposed to be here with you in the afternoon? Where did he go?”

Baekhyun’s grandmother hums. “He called after school, apologised that he couldn't be with me in the bakery for the afternoon. I can't remember if he stayed back in school, or had to go somewhere. You could ask him when he's back.”

“Definitely.” And Baekhyun immediately plots the intense interrogation session he's going to unleash upon his roommate. Kyungsoo rarely stays back in school, and he doesn't head out at all. Something’s fishy. Baekhyun is going to get to the bottom of it.

Until then, though, Baekhyun busies himself with the bakery, all thoughts pushed to the back of his mind. It's only when he's in his bed, all prepared to sleep, when he suddenly remembers that he has to interrogate Kyungsoo on his whereabouts. Baekhyun turns to Kyungsoo’s side of the room. Kyungsoo is rolled up in his comforter, silent and unmoving. _Dammit, he's asleep._ Baekhyun makes a mental note to carry out the interrogation in the morning.

He flips onto his back, looks up, eyes seeing nothing in the darkness. A snore comes from Kyungsoo; Baekhyun snickers, thinks about whether he ought to record it to aid his blackmail. (He doesn't because _I'm a nice friend_.)

Later, when he's about to drift off to sleep, a thought shoots into his mind and— _fucking hell_ —instantly wakes Baekhyun up.

_“The boy came by again.”_

Ugh, Baekhyun is sickened. But as much as he tells himself, tries to force himself back to sleep with a clear mind, Baekhyun eventually falls asleep with that one name swirling in his head.

 

\---

 

The rustle of a plastic bag resounds clearly in the silence of the night. Baekhyun walks on the street with a spring in his step, a tune being lightly hummed under his breath. He brings the bag up, peers inside, and smiles upon seeing the four cans of cat food which he'd bought from the convenience store next to the beverage joint.

“I hope they're still there,” Baekhyun says, jostling the bag as he walks, in a rather drunk-swagger kind of way, in the direction of his home. The cans clang against one another, joining the cacophony of his humming and rustling of the plastic bag. The street suddenly becomes noisy. 

The unlit sign of the bakery slowly comes into view, and Baekhyun smiles fondly as he walks under it. He pauses for a moment to peer into the glass window, eyes accustoming themselves to the darkness within, to check for the presence of his grandmother and Kyungsoo. There's no one. Baekhyun leans away, looks up. The light in the rooms above the store are switched on; they must have already retreated into their respective rooms for the night. 

Turning away, Baekhyun resumes on his path. He continues walking. Walks until the entrance to a small alley appears between two stores. A smile forms on his face. He can't wait to see the kittens and their mother again.

Yet as Baekhyun rounds the corner, all prepared to meet the adorable felines that he saw just yesterday—huddled in a box—he stops. The sudden halt causes the plastic bag in his hand to hit the side of his thigh, resulting in a rather loud rustle that cuts sharply in the silence. But the person that is currently sitting in front of the box, with their back to Baekhyun, seems to have not heard it. 

_Who– Who is this person?_ Baekhyun immediately thinks. _Are the cats okay? Are they being taken care of? Is this the person who provided the towel and the half-emptied can of cat food in the box?_ Despite the questions, Baekhyun remains as still as a statue, his limbs unable to move as he looks on at the scene before him. In the darkness, he can't make out the identity of the person. But with the small, dim bulb installed on one of the two brick walls of the alley, Baekhyun sees the boyish, short hair of the person, nape coloured a shade of yellow due to the light. 

_It's a male._

Baekhyun stares at the back of the person, and he eventually spaces out. He doesn't register that the person has moved until a loud mew rings cutely in the silence and Baekhyun comes to his senses. The first thing that he sees is the side profile of the person, who currently has a kitten cradled in his arms. Baekhyun stares. He _stares_ at the male, eyes darting up and down, takes in the facial features illuminated by the bulb; the strands of hair over eyes, the high ridge of his nose, the rise of cheeks as he smiles at the kitten squirming in his arms, the appearance of a set of teeth between thin lips. The side profile is strangely familiar. 

When it finally _clicks_ in Baekhyun’s head, he's already running. His hand unconsciously lets the bag of cat food drop, the cans clattering noisily onto the concrete pavement. A shout comes from behind him but Baekhyun doesn't turn back. He runs. Runs until he's home, back sliding down the door and he curls into himself, face in his hands. 

Loud exhalations echo in the silence of his home; Kyungsoo and Baekhyun’s grandmother already asleep. Baekhyun breathes heavily, the sound all he hears until another suddenly interrupts and fills his head, his ears. It creeps into his heart, and Baekhyun can't help but flush when a moving image surfaces in his mind to accompany the sound. His cheeks suddenly heat up, and the ‘cave’ where he's stuffed his face in becomes inexplicably warm. Baekhyun refuses to emerge for cool air.

And he just squats there, behind the door of his home. In the darkness behind Baekhyun’s eyes, the image of a laughing Yixing with the kitten in his arms is all he sees and hears. 

 

\---

 

“Here, let me help you with that.”

Trapped within the struggle of balancing the tray and putting the pastries onto its corresponding shelf, Baekhyun hadn't realised that someone has entered the store and is currently standing next to him. He jumps, startled by the voice, and the tray of pastries tilts in his hands. Thankfully, another pair of hands appear and rights it. 

“Be careful. Your grandmother won't be too happy if you spill these onto the floor.”

Baekhyun would recognise that voice _anywhere_. 

“W-What are you doing here,” Baekhyun asks. He lifts his head to see a beaming Yixing looking right back at him. There's that damned dimple on his right cheek. “If you're here for my grandmother, then I'm sorry to tell you that she's ill and would be unable to see you today.”

“Oh dear, is she alright?” Yixing immediately asks, concern flooding his face. “She already seemed to be having a slight cold when I was here yesterday. I hope she’s seen a doctor.” 

Baekhyun pretends that the worried expression on his rival’s face isn't at all adorable (and he most definitely _does not_ want to coo at it). Instead, he slaps an indifferent expression on his own face and says, “She saw the doctor this morning, and just went to bed after taking the medication.” An afterthought surfaces. “Thank you for your concern.” 

“Okay, that's good to hear. I'm glad she'll be alright,” Yixing heaves a sigh of relief. 

Baekhyun nods, then clears his throat. “Well, now that I've told you what happened to my grandmother, you can be on your way now.” He gives Yixing a side-eye glance. 

“Nah,” Yixing replies. “Since Madam Byun is ill, I'm going to stay and help you.” A smile forms on his face as Yixing tilts his head to a side. Several strands of the hair above his eyes follow the movement, allowing more of Yixing’s eyes to be seen. Baekhyun is _not_ looking at them. 

Baekhyun scoffs. “I don't need _you_ to help me, thank you very much. I'm plenty capable on my own.” And as if to prove his point, Baekhyun attempts to shift the pastries from the tray to the shelf once more. The large tray quivers in his hand, its weight beginning to affect his wrist and— _shit_ —his hand starts to tremble. 

“I'm not saying that you're not capable. I'm saying that I want to help you.” And Yixing gently supports the tray with his own hands, chuckling lightly when Baekhyun _tsks_ but doesn't refuse his help. 

When the last pastry is safely and neatly arranged on the shelf, Baekhyun immediately removes the tray from Yixing’s hands and turns his back to him. He's about to take a step towards the back of the store when he suddenly stops. Baekhyun feels Yixing’s curious gaze on his back. It's… not an unpleasant feeling. 

“Thank you,” Baekhyun mumbles. “For helping me.” And with his fingers tightly curled into the edges of the tray, Baekhyun escapes to the back of the store. He gently places the tray atop the stack, leans against the table. In the silence of the kitchen, Baekhyun can clearly hear the pounding of his heart and the sound of blood rushing to his ears. 

He stays like this for a while, body leaning against the table, hands pressing hard onto the cool metal surface. Baekhyun isn't looking at anything but he makes out the stack of trays and the lone pair of tongs atop of them. He's seeing and unseeing at the same time. 

The chirp of a _welcome!_ snaps him out of his daze, and Baekhyun carefully makes his way to the door. Peering out, he sees Yixing serving the customer. He's packing the bread into small plastic bags, receiving the cash and Baekhyun wonders in surprise and awe as Yixing deftly works the cash register. It's definitely not his first time, _definitely not_. 

(It causes Baekhyun to wonder if Yixing has helped his grandmother in more ways than one when he's here.)

Yixing returns the change and hands over the bag of bread to the customer. With a _thank you and have a nice day!_ , the customer leaves. The entire process had been so quick, Yixing’s movements so natural. It’s unbelievable. Unbeknownst that Baekhyun’s watching him, Yixing continues to stand at the counter, hands clasped in front of him. The smile on his face never faltered throughout the sale. The dimple doesn't disappear even though the customer is gone. 

And ten feet away stands Baekhyun, whose heart has not stopped pounding since.

 

\---

 

It’s currently Day One Hundred and Seventy-Nine (yes, Baekhyun _still_ keeps count). 

Just like every other morning, Baekhyun stumbles into the classroom, drops his bag onto the floor, and proceeds to sprawl on his desk. His head is resting on crossed arms, cheek squished under the weight of his (heavy) head, his knuckle digging a little painfully into it. Baekhyun’s fringe obscures his face, creating the perfect cover for him to fixate his eyes on the only other person that’s in the classroom. 

Yixing was already sitting at his desk when Baekhyun entered the classroom. His bag neatly hung on the hook under the desk, the first period’s textbook placed on the surface. There’s nothing unusual about those for Yixing does them every morning. The unusual thing—and it’s _extremely_ unusual—is that Yixing does not have his eyes on Baekhyun. He’s _not_ looking at Baekhyun, not at all. When Baekhyun stumbled into the classroom, he didn’t feel the familiar gaze on him. Even as he collapsed onto his chair and did his usual morning routine, he still didn’t feel Yixing’s eyes on him. 

This isn’t the first time it’s happening. 

Since Monday, Yixing has not set his eyes on Baekhyun. Not once. Not at all. Baekhyun had brushed Monday off with a simple reason that Yixing must be tired; Tuesday with Yixing being tired, too; Wednesday with Yixing being tired _again_. It’s Thursday today, and Baekhyun is running out of the will to continue convincing himself that the reason Yixing doesn’t have his eyes on him is because he’s tired, exhausted due to things Baekhyun has no knowledge of. He pretends that that’s alright because _why the hell would I want to know anyway he’s my bloody rival not someone I like_. (It doesn’t work as well as Baekhyun wanted it to.)

There’s another unusual thing. Just yesterday, over dinner, Baekhyun’s grandmother expressed her worry and confusion at the fact that Yixing hasn’t dropped by in three days. There’s no fixed schedule for Yixing’s appearance at the bakery but, honestly, there hasn’t been a weekday where Yixing wouldn’t be in the store for less than a minute. His no-show ever since Monday caused the elderly woman to be concerned and she even asked if Yixing has been attending school; Kyungsoo assured her that he has been. 

It’s queer, bizarre, strange. Baekhyun doesn’t know what’s happened to Yixing for him to behave like this. _Not that I care y’know because why would I._ Yet, Baekhyun can’t help but worry, too ( _all your fault, grandma!_ ). This is why he’s been secretly looking at Yixing since Tuesday. Unfortunately, there’s nothing that could warrant such behaviour. Apart from not gazing at Baekhyun, Yixing behaves as he usually does. He answers his classmates, greets Chanyeol with a dimpled smile, and pays attention during lessons. Nothing’s changed. 

But it’s with this confusion swirling in his mind does Baekhyun _sees_ and _understands_. The time right now is the duration where most students arrive at school, the hallways busy and packed. His classmates start to stream into the classroom, most of them calling out to Yixing. Baekhyun prides himself on remembering almost all of his classmates’ voices. So when a totally foreign call of _Yixing-hyung!_ somehow slices through the din of the classroom, Baekhyun immediately _awakens_. He shoots up from his napping position and hastily cards a hand through his hair to push his long fringe away from his eyes. And, in utter confusion and disbelief, Baekhyun watches Yixing turn in his seat to face the window that’s just right next to his desk, greeting a _oh Sehun-ah!_ in return. 

Sehun? Who the hell is Sehun? 

Not knowing that he’s gained an unlikely bystander, Yixing gets up from his chair and begins to converse with _Sehun_ over the window ledge. From where he is, Baekhyun can’t hear what they’re talking about, smiling about, _laughing_ about. Yet it’s as though his surroundings, the classroom, the people walking about in it, the sounds and noises generated are fading out. Baekhyun can’t seem to hear any more of those, silence overtaking his hearing. His field of vision narrows drastically, vignettes appearing and slowly creeping in from the sides of his eyes. His peripheral vision soon vanishes, and all that he can see are the two boys. 

It’s as though a spotlight has been installed above them, bright light beaming down, setting them aglow in the darkness. Baekhyun hasn’t moved an inch, still a distance away from the pair, hence his inability to catch their conversation. The resulting silence resounds loudly in his ears. He doesn’t like it. Baekhyun doesn’t like the silence. It’s too quiet, too eerie. It clearly allows him to hear the blood rushing within his body, the breaths exhaled by his mouth, and the rapid pounding of his heart. Baekhyun doesn’t understand why his body is behaving like this. Doesn’t understand why his fists are clenched, why his jaw is tight, why he’s gritting his teeth. 

Why he feels so _angry_. 

When Baekhyun returns to reality, _Sehun_ is no longer standing at the window and Yixing is laughing at something Chanyeol is saying. A familiar heated gaze is on his face. Baekhyun discovers that he’s still looking at the window and some of his classmates are staring. He quickly looks away, slowly turning his head in the direction of where the heat is emanating from, only to bite his lower lip when he finds Kyungsoo staring at him. An unsaid _something wrong?_ can clearly be seen in that boy’s large eyes. 

Baekhyun shakes his head, but Kyungsoo doesn’t look convinced. His lips part and just when he’s about to say something, a teacher enters the classroom. Baekhyun has never been so glad to have the teacher be punctual. 

 

\---

 

“I _knew_ it.” 

“You know _nothing_.”

“I knew _it_ all along.”

Baekhyun resists the strong urge to roll his eyes, choosing to avert them from Kyungsoo’s smug face instead. He pulls the pillow out from under his head and hugs it to his chest, burying his chin into its softness. “I regret telling you.”

Kyungsoo laughs, then says, “You won’t regret telling me, Hyun, I can assure you.” He copies Baekhyun’s movements, and ends up in the same position; Baekhyun resists rolling his eyes for the second time. Kyungsoo is looking at him as though he’s about to throw himself over for a hug, an embrace, a bro-hug; Baekhyun thinks he would like that but _uh eww no thanks_. “Because you’re going to want to have someone to talk to about your Yixing troubles.”

“I have no troubles with Yixing,” Baekhyun scoffs. “I don’t _want_ to have any troubles relating to him.” 

“Says the person who still has feelings for him.”

Startled by Kyungsoo’s sudden accusation, Baekhyun flings his pillow behind him. “H-How dare you! There i-is no such th-thing!” The pillow bounces off the wall and lands on its owner, thumping Baekhyun on the head. Baekhyun vaguely wonders if Kyungsoo is controlling his pillow. “I do not like Yixing! I do not!”

“You know how you can’t lie, right,” Kyungsoo deadpans. “You know how I read you like an open book most of the time, right.” 

Baekhyun has no comeback.

Kyungsoo smirks, but his expression softens soon after. “Anyway, about what you asked.” He sits up, hugs his pillow to his chest. “I’m not surprised that Yixing got close to Sehun, seeing how Sehun always serves him every time he patronises our workplace.”

“Huh? _Our_ workplace?” 

“Yeah. Our work chat isn’t that active, and you’re not one to notice usernames but looking at how you don’t seem to know Sehun, you probably don’t know he works with us, right?” 

“... Wha–”

“Sehun is _that_ person whom you swapped shifts with, Baekhyun.”

 

\---

 

“Why so down, my dear grandson?” 

Baekhyun looks up from his hands to find his grandmother looking down at him, her gaze fond yet puzzled. He stands up from the stool but is immediately pushed down by a pair of hands at his shoulders. Baekhyun whines, “Grandma…”

“Now now, don’t go all puppy on me,” The elderly woman gently chides, tapping a wrinkled index on Baekhyun’s nose. She chortles when Baekhyun huffs. “In exchange for not allowing you to give up your seat, I want you to tell me why you’ve been so upset since yesterday. Soo refused to tell me anything, so I can only know it from you.”

Aww, Kyungsoo. His loyalty sure shines when it’s needed. Baekhyun mentally tells himself to give his roommate—and best friend—a part of his meat during dinner later tonight (to ensure that Kyungsoo continues to keep his mouth shut). 

Baekhyun remains silent, drops his head back down to look at his hands. He plays with them for a while before he hears a sigh. Baekhyun feels guilty, and the guilt building within him urges him to tell his grandmother but Baekhyun can’t. He simply can’t. Not when he’s uncertain about it, unsure of how and what he feels towards Yixing. Had his initial good feelings towards the transfer student been more than just admiration? Was his admiration for Yixing’s blessed face more than what he had felt for those previous blessed faces he admired? 

Does he truly like Yixing?

And that is what Baekhyun thinks about as he lies on his bed, eyes staring in the direction of a sleeping Kyungsoo. He smiles a little when he remembers how the boy’s large eyes lit up when Baekhyun gave up his favourite chicken drumstick to him, putting it onto his plate. Kyungsoo really deserves to be loved, after all that he’s been through (another story for another time, kids!). 

Kyungsoo’s words float into Baekhyun’s head a moment later, causing him to tear his eyes away from his roommate’s thick brows because _ugh I don’t want to remember_ how the joint’s newest recruit seems to be interested in Yixing and is currently using all ways to chase after him.

 _“There would always be hearts drawn on the sweet potato lattes Yixing orders, and Sehun would more than often fight with Chanyeol in order to get to take Yixing’s orders and make them himself. Also, it’s rare but at times if Yixing orders a frap, a heart could also be found on the whipped cream, made by the sauces in the squeeze bottles. And when Yixing doesn’t take away his beverage and sits in the joint, there would be an accompanying piece of heart next to the cup on the saucer. It baffles Chanyeol every time because how the heck did Sehun have the time to cut red hearts when Yixing always visits during the busiest of times. Oh, and, before you jump to conclusions, Chanyeol and I are_ not _texting. Not that frequently, anyway.”_

Alas, things don’t always go Baekhyun’s way, and he ends up recalling the whole chunk of what Kyungsoo said to him the afternoon before. He wonders a little about that last bit, of Kyungsoo and Chanyeol texting, but soon diverges from that to think about the rest of Kyungsoo’s words instead. Judging from Kyungsoo’s anecdotes, that Sehun kid really does seem to like Yixing a whole lot, and somehow, strangely, Baekhyun is slightly miffed by that. 

_What._ The realisation dawns on him, and Baekhyun lightly slaps himself on the face. He tells himself that he’s _not_ miffed, that his feathers are not ruffled by the appearance of another who’s also interested– 

Baekhyun pauses in his thoughts.

_Also interested._

_Also. Interested._

Goddammit. 

And things _really_ do not go Baekhyun’s way because the scene of him unknowingly stumbling onto Yixing caring for the felines in the alley that night suddenly shoot into his head, bombarding him with image after image of a certain good-looking side profile, filling his ears with that same peal of laughter over and over until Baekhyun sits up, breath all ragged and hurried, body feeling way warmer than it should be feeling, heart pounding faster than it should be. Lips pulled into a small smile when they shouldn’t be. 

An image of the very first time he saw Yixing smile, dimple and all, on the day he transferred in, lazily swims into Baekhyun’s consciousness and that’s when he knows. 

_I... really do still like Yixing, huh._

 

\---

 

 **Baekhyun:** SWAP SHIFTS WITH ME YEOLLIE

 **Chanyeol:** what brought this on

 **Baekhyun:** NOTHING JUST SWAP WITH ME PLEASE

 **Chanyeol:** ure not very good at convincing people byun

 **Baekhyun:** PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE SWAP WITH ME YEOL ITS A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH

 **Chanyeol:** why dont u ask sehun instead hes on the same shift as i am 

**Baekhyun:** I DID BUT HE REFUSED LIKE THE FUCK OI I AM OLDER THAN HE IS I AM HIS SUNBAE IN THIS INDUSTRY WHERE IS THE RESPECT

 **Baekhyun:** also am i imagining things or are u implying something

 **Chanyeol:** heard it from soo that u like xing so yes i implied something ./////.

 **Baekhyun:** UGH GODDAMMIT DO KYUNGSOO i regret giving him my chicken 

**Baekhyun:** anyway u willing to change or what 

**Chanyeol:** well… i dont know yknow 

**Baekhyun:** stop playing hard to get when u know u want to say yes

 **Chanyeol:** but… xing will definitely miss me ;;;

 **Baekhyun:** U FUCKER JUST FUCKING SAY YES ALREADY THE FUCK

 **Chanyeol:** no

 **Baekhyun:** …

 **Baekhyun:** CAN U DONT I KNOW U WANT TO BECAUSE U SECRETLY LOVE OUR SOO SOO

 **Chanyeol:** I DO NOT I AM NOT IN LOVE

 **Baekhyun:** ure not very good at convincing people park

 **Chanyeol:** I AM NOT I AM NOT I

 **Chanyeol:** am i that obvious

 **Baekhyun:** u think

 **Chanyeol:** SJDBJSKAHFJLEFHLSNF

 **Baekhyun:** actually no ure not its just that soo tells me everything we r best friends yknow ^^

 **Chanyeol:** i would say thats cute but 

**Baekhyun:** ARE U GONNA SWITCH WITH ME OR NOT 

**Chanyeol:** yes

 **aekhyun:** YESSSSS TIME TO GET MY HEAD IN THE GAME THAT DISRESPECTING OH SEHUN BETTER WATCH THE FUCK OUT BCS BYUN IS IN DA HOUSE

 **Baekhyun:** also dont u dare tell yixing anything okay this swap is a surprise im going to surprise the shit out of that beautiful boy

 **Chanyeol:** ure fucking sappy and therefore gross u know that hyunnie

 **Baekhyun:** thank u i try  <3

 **Chanyeol:** REJECTS THE HEART EWW GROSS save it for xing xing instead

 

\---

 

“Yixing came by today!” 

The bag of leftover pastries in Baekhyun’s hand almost drops to the kitchen floor. “He did?” Baekhyun flings the bag into the fridge before dashing over to his grandmother, stumbling forward when his socked foot slips on the living room flooring. His hands come up to balance himself, and Baekhyun safely makes it to the couch. He plops down right next to the elderly woman. “Yixing came over today?”  

Baekhyun’s grandmother nods. “Yes, he did. He dropped by in the afternoon with a container of chilled _mei cai kou rou_ made by Madam Zhang.” She lowers the volume of the television, sets the remote down onto the coffee table in front of them. “I’ll need you to bring them the chilled marinated pork I made. You could bring it over to them tomorrow, if you’re not working. Okay?” 

“Yes, mam!” Baekhyun salutes. There’s a big, fat grin on his face, his lips stretching ear to ear, forming a rectangle. Baekhyun doesn’t know why he’s so happy. He really doesn’t know _why_ but okay, he’ll take it. “I’ll bring it ov–” The grin falters slightly when Baekhyun realises something. “I don’t have Yixing’s address! I don’t know where they stay, though, grandma! How am I going to–” 

His grandmother’s laugh interrupts him, and Baekhyun pouts. “I’m guessing that you know?” At her nod, relief washes over him but Baekhyun blows a loud raspberry when he sees his grandmother still giggling. “Do you like teasing me that much? I’m disappointed in you, _grandmother_ ,” Baekhyun says, sternly, folding his arms across his chest. He snaps his head in the opposite direction, puffing out his cheeks and huffs.

The giggles soon die down, and Baekhyun feels the couch shift. His grandmother nudges him with her shoulder, causing Baekhyun to almost fall over onto his side and his arms uncross themselves to wildly swing around. His hands find purchase in the arm of the couch and after Baekhyun rights himself, he shoots the elder a glare that falters when she bursts out laughing once more, her wrinkled hands clapping in front of her and Baekhyun can’t help but join in. Their combined laughter rings melodiously above the silence of the apartment, drawing out Kyungsoo from his room with curiosity written on his face. Baekhyun pulls him into his arms, unleashing a huge bulk of his strength to do so when Kyungsoo resists with the entirety of his body. Baekhyun struggles; his grandmother laughs louder. 

It’s only when Baekhyun whispers in Kyungsoo’s ears _Yixing dropped by the bakery today_ does Kyungsoo stop moving, and he turns his head to look at Baekhyun. “Really?” Kyungsoo whispers back, incredulity apparent in his large eyes. At Baekhyun’s curt nod, Kyungsoo throws his arms around him, a sharp bark of laughter surprising Baekhyun. 

“That’s wonderful!” Kyungsoo whispers, and Baekhyun can clearly hear the delight in his roommate’s tone. “I’m happy for you. And you must be really happy, Hyun.” 

Baekhyun’s about to reply when the corners of his eyes catch how fondly his grandmother is gazing at both him and Kyungsoo, and as he sends her a smile, he feels a pat on his back, feels Kyungsoo’s arms wrapping tighter around him. An insurmountable amount of warmth envelopes him; Baekhyun feels happy. He truly does. 

And so, he voices out, “Yes, Soo, I am. I’m happy.”

 

\---

 

The surprise on Yixing’s face, when he steps into the beverage joint and sees Baekhyun waving to him from behind the cash register, makes Baekhyun’s day. The way Yixing shakily raises a hand to return the wave while stammering out a _h-h-hey Baekhyun_ is so adorable, it almost causes Baekhyun to abandon all self-control and launch himself across the counter at Yixing. Of course, he doesn’t do that, not when Yixing’s greeting immediately brings about _an unwanted presence_ that begins to crowd into Baekhyun’s personal space. Baekhyun swallows a growl. 

“Yixing-hyung!” Sehun chirps, unbeknownst to Baekhyun’s growing fury as he squeezes into Baekhyun’s side. Baekhyun takes a bony elbow to his ribs. Curse Oh Sehun and his height! Why the hell would someone want to be _this uselessly tall_ (coughs Chanyeol coughs), Baekhyun doesn’t understand. “The usual?” 

“Uh–”

“ _Sehun_ ,” Baekhyun cuts in, turning his head to look up ( _ugh_ ) at his tall co-worker with a less-than-friendly but sweet smile on his face. He forces his voice to be as saccharine as possible in order to hide the simmering fury laced in his ~~threat~~ words. “Don’t you have counters to clean? I can take Yixing’s order, no worries.” 

Sehun looks down at Baekhyun. There’s a tinge of anger swirling in his eyes, recognition of that perhaps Baekhyun is a rival flooding into them a split second later. The corners of his lips quiver a little, and Baekhyun swears they tug upwards to form a tiny semblance of a smirk before down turning as Sehun bites on his lower lip. His eyes are suddenly glistening, the anger in them having vanished at some point when Baekhyun isn’t paying attention. 

“Um, I do but–” Sehun begins to say, his voice uncharacteristically (not that Baekhyun has known him long enough but) soft, and _the fuck he sounds like he’s being bullied_.

Fine. Two can play at this game. 

Baekhyun refuses to back down, but he suppresses his bubbling rage, and oh-so-nicely says, “You should still–”

“Yes, Sehun, I’ll take my usual.” 

Baekhyun feels as though he’s been slapped across the face, _hard_. He slowly turns his head back to the front, sees Yixing dropping his head, fingers fiddling with his wallet. Baekhyun feels Sehun’s arm brush his, and in his peripheral vision he faintly sees Sehun entering Yixing’s order on the register. But Baekhyun doesn’t care, all he sees and cares about is how Yixing seems to be avoiding his eyes. He gapes when Yixing lifts them up to look at Sehun when asked for the cash, narrowing into slight crescents as he smiles when Sehun gives him his change and tells him _I’ll be right there with your order, hyung_. Then, Sehun goes to make Yixing’s sweet potato latte, and Yixing just leaves for the pick-up counter. Without saying anything, without doing anything. Without so as much acknowledge Baekhyun’s presence. 

It’s as though Baekhyun doesn’t exist after that initial greeting. 

Tilting his head upwards, Baekhyun blinks back tears that have involuntarily welled in his eyes. He doesn’t know when they formed, but _dammit_ he really doesn’t want to cry. Well, not in front of Sehun and Yixing anyway. He’s about to make his way to the backroom, to open his locker and shove his head in to shed these blasted tears, when he suddenly hears a familiar voice calling out his name, but before he can reply, Yixing is already out the door and walking past the last of the joint’s glass windows. 

As Yixing’s gentle voice and words swim around his head, Baekhyun drops to the floor, not caring that it’s dirty and sticky as fuck. The corners of his lips are unknowingly tugging themselves upwards, and Baekhyun breaks into a smile which he hides behind his hands. A breath dizzy with delight escapes his mouth and warms his palms, the resulting heat spreading to the rest of his body.

_Baekhyun-ah, see you tomorrow._

Pressing the heels of his palms to his eyes to force his tears back in, Baekhyun inwardly squeals, overjoyed that Yixing _does_ acknowledge his presence after all. That bit of him being ignored is but a minor setback. Yes, it’s just a minor setback. And even as Baekhyun feels a pair of eyes staring heatedly at his back—he’s plenty sure it’s Oh Sehun because _who else would there be_ —he smirks to himself and determinedly thinks to himself that he’ll up his game to gain Yixing’s attention and earn his interest and ultimately his heart. If Oh Sehun wants a fight, he’s going to get one. 

_Let the competition begin._

 

\---

 

Baekhyun’s back hurts. Figuratively. 

He’s been bending it front, behind, and side to side, as he works hard—really, really, _really_ hard—on getting Yixing to notice him again. In the past week and more, Baekhyun went all out, and would continue to go all out until he achieves his goal. Nothing and _no one_ (especially one by the name of Oh Sehun) is going to stop him. Baekhyun has realised what he wants, who he wants, and who he actually likes a lot. A whole lot. A whole damn lot.

(And Baekhyun discovered just how genuine his affection for Yixing is when he, for the first time, unconsciously stood and clapped when Yixing received first place for the Korean test that they took before Baekhyun reached the epiphany of him still having feelings for the transfer student. Everyone had been shocked by his actions, but Baekhyun remained standing at his seat, genuinely proud of Yixing’s achievement. He didn’t feel bitter, didn’t feel salty. None of those negative emotions he’d always felt whenever he’s bested by that boy. The happiness that coursed through his body as a result of watching Yixing smile when Mr Jung announced his name was genuine. It was sincere. 

And, that was when Baekhyun _knew_.)

To show just how _much_ Baekhyun likes Yixing, he’s been trying to impress the boy both at school and at the beverage joint. It’s a strategy that involves a whole lot of (genuine) bootlicking, showing-off, and a general display of _I really really do like you a whole lot Zhang Yixing_ from Baekhyun himself. And Baekhyun knows it’s going to work because even _Kyungsoo_ lauds and approves of it. Sometimes, he even provides Baekhyun with ideas. 

Ideas such as this one. 

“I don’t know why you’d think this is a good idea, Soo,” mumbles Baekhyun. He’s standing in line to get his tray of lunch, fidgeting and squirming in embarrassment for Kyungsoo is roughly tucking his uniform shirt into his pants _openly in the canteen_. Baekhyun can feel numerous eyes on him, can feel their judgment seeping into his skin and penetrating his bones. He wants to dig a hole, jump into it, and never come out. A soft squeal slips out when Kyungsoo’s nails graze the front of his boxers, skimming along his (unprotected) crotch. Baekhyun very much wants to die; Kyungsoo looks very much unaffected ( _HOW DOES HE DO IT_ ). 

Kyungsoo’s hands finally leave Baekhyun’s body, but just when Baekhyun thinks it’s the end of the torture, he receives a light smack on his butt. “That’s for moving incessantly when I told you not to. And, oi, this is a _great_ idea, mind you.” Kyungsoo pushes Baekhyun slightly at the shoulder, gesturing for him to move forward as the line has moved. “It’s going to cement your position as _someone next to Yixing_ because, look–”—Baekhyun follows Kyungsoo’s index—“–your rival has already thought of it.” 

Right there, next to Yixing at the table which he shares with Chanyeol, is Sehun (and another boy who looks like he’s about to face-plant into his lunch tray). Baekhyun clenches his fist and hardens his jaw when he sees Sehun pointing to the portion of meat on Yixing’s tray before opening his mouth; it doesn’t take a genius to know that he wants to be fed. And _goddammit_ , Yixing feeds him. Sehun’s wide smile is something Baekhyun very much wants to rip off his face. 

“Why are you averse to it anyway,” Kyungsoo says, tilting his head as he looks at Baekhyun. “I think it’s going to really show Yixing just how much you do like him, since you usually don’t even have lunch in the canteen.” He nudges Baekhyun, rests a hand on his shoulder. “Are you, like, afraid?”

Baekhyun gulps. “Well…” He absentmindedly scratches his nape, but it’s actually not itchy and after deciding that he’s caused more than enough unnecessary pain to his poor neck, Baekhyun drops his hand. It fidgets restlessly by his side. “I... actually am…?”

“What are you afraid of, Hyun?”

“Um…”

“Rejection? Are you afraid that Yixing will not allow you to sit at his table?”

“Y-Yeah. That.”

Kyungsoo snorts, and Baekhyun frowns. That’s not very nice of his roommate, because Baekhyun _is_ legitimately afraid of Yixing’s rejection. He’s not someone who takes rejection well, to be frank. Which is why Baekhyun is reluctant to take this step, to sit next to Yixing. He wants to, though, he very much wants to sit next to Yixing. Yet, the inkling of fear that Yixing may say no vehemently discourages him, causing his insecurities to act up. Ugh, Baekhyun dislikes his insecurities at times like this. 

On the other hand, though, Kyungsoo seems to know, and he drops into a soft whisper, a hand reaching up to gently press into the blades of Baekhyun’s shoulders. “Hyun, trust me. Yixing’s not going to do that; I know him well enough to know that. Besides, it’s not like I’m going to make you sit with them by yourself,” Kyungsoo says, pushing Baekhyun along as the line moves again. He picks up two empty trays and slides them onto the metal rack, displaying his brilliant multitasking skill by pushing both Baekhyun and the trays, while talking at the same time. “I’m going to join you.”

Baekhyun looks at Kyungsoo, the frown vanishing as his eyes blow wide and sparkle with reverence and gratitude. His lips spread to form an open-mouthed smile as he clasps his hands together and says his roommate’s name like a prayer, “Kyungsoo-ah, you are indeed my best friend. Have I ever told you how much I love you?”

(The blank expression on Kyungsoo’s face evidently says _no you have never told me that and no I don’t want to ever hear it you sappy cheese_.)

And so, with filled lunch trays in their hands, the pair of best friends quietly make their way over to the table. Chanyeol and Yixing’s surprised expressions greet them, but it doesn’t take long for the surprise to fade and Chanyeol is dragging a blank-faced Kyungsoo down next to him while Yixing looks at Baekhyun and gestures to the empty spot next to him. Baekhyun gingerly sits down, a tentative expression on his face as he gauges Yixing’s reaction.

Yixing does nothing, resumes eating his lunch, but the smile on his face gets Baekhyun’s heart racing. Baekhyun immediately drops his head, cheeks warming as a small smile spreads across his face as well.

Throughout the lunch break, Baekhyun tries his best to get Yixing’s attention. His antics range from engaging Yixing in conversation about anything and everything under the sun, to copying what Sehun did (much to Baekhyun’s embarrassment and surprise because _Yixing fed me oh my god_ ), and to sharing his precious little carton of strawberry milk. Yixing doesn’t accept the milk, says that he has his own and he rather Baekhyun drinks it because he’s pretty sure Baekhyun likes strawberry and milk. 

Baekhyun doesn’t know how Yixing knew that, but it sends his heart aflutter. And Baekhyun has a hard time settling down in class thereafter, his heart still racing from how Yixing had walked next to him all the way to class (despite Sehun’s protests to send him to his class in which Baekhyun had inwardly smirked at) and sent him to his seat before going to his. As Yixing leaves for his seat, he gently puts his hand on Baekhyun’s head, ruffling his hair and when the warmth of Yixing’s hand departs, Baekhyun finds himself fondly watching, from under his messed-up hair, the handsome view of his departing back. Yixing is so, so good, yet bad for him as well. Baekhyun doesn’t know what to think. 

Throughout the rest of the day, the smile on his face doesn’t fade, only faltering when the thought of Yixing momentarily slips out of his mind during times when Baekhyun has to use his brain for other matters. And Baekhyun occasionally darts his eyes to Yixing, although he instantly looks away while blushing furiously when Yixing catches him. The tilt of Yixing’s head when he looks, seemingly confused, at Baekhyun is _so not adorable_ and isn’t the cause of Baekhyun’s inability to function thereafter. (It so is.)

Unfortunately, work isn’t like school. 

It’s not as peaceful, not as calm, and definitely not as _easy_ to get Yixing’s attention. Having successfully swapped shifts with Chanyeol, Baekhyun is now back in his original shifts—the shifts which Yixing visits. Sadly, going back to his original shifts meant working with Sehun, the employee who swapped shifts with him in the first place, and the person who has— _fucking hell_ —developed an interest in Yixing. So, at the beverage joint, Baekhyun has on his battle armour and his most impressive _fuck off Oh Sehun_ aura as a shield. Never can he relax for a second, because somehow, in some way or another, he’d find himself engaging in battles with his co-worker-slash-rival. The battles don’t always happen in the presence of Yixing, with most of them happening when Yixing isn’t around actually. They’re pretty dumb and childish and terribly immature, and inasmuch as Baekhyun _knows_ that they are, he can’t help but retaliate or initiate. He just wants to put Sehun in his place ~~, a place where he would never be able to reach Yixing~~.

And a _pretty dumb and childish and terribly immature_ battle usually is as such.

“ _Sehun_ , why don’t you go wipe the tables and keep the mugs? I’m plenty sure that I’ll be able to handle the upcoming crowd,” Baekhyun _sweetly_ says, folding the rag into Sehun’s hands. He unleashes a little of his strength, his fingers gripping Sehun’s tightly to prevent them from returning the rag. “And if I ever do need help, I’ll call for you.”

Baekhyun clearly sees the challenge in Sehun’s eyes, the flame burning brightly and wildly in them. “Nah, I think I’ll stay right next to you and help you until the upcoming crowd clears, Baekhyun- _hyung_ ,” replies Sehun. The smile on his face is tight, and Baekhyun notices how his co-worker’s jaw has hardened. “There aren’t many mugs and plates left on the tables anyway, so why don’t you release my hands and I’ll return the rag.” 

The disgustingly saccharine tone in Sehun’s words makes Baekhyun want to puke. Dammit, this Sehun is so skilled, so good at rebutting Baekhyun that at times he can’t come up with a snappy comeback (which says a lot about Sehun’s ability because _dammit I, Byun Baekhyun, used to be so good at this kind of fighting back shit_ ). And the smirk on Sehun’s face is so, so, _so_ infuriating. Ugh, can Sehun _stop_ fighting with Baekhyun for Yixing already. Can he, can he, can he _fucking stop_? (Of course, Baekhyun knows Sehun can’t.)

Opening his mouth, Baekhyun is about to just hurl any insult he can at Sehun when an ever-familiar voice effectively cuts into the Baekhyun-Sehun battle bubble and pops it. 

“Hi.”

The fury on Baekhyun’s face immediately slides off, and he swiftly rearranges his expression as he whirls around to face the owner of the pretty voice. “Yixing!” Baekhyun instantly breaks into a genuine, fond smile that’s only reserved for the boy, eyes narrowing into crescents, cheeks rising high on their own accord. A warmth that wasn’t there before begins to flood his face; Baekhyun hopes it doesn’t show. “H-Hey there.”

“Hi, Baek–”

“Yixing-hyung! Hi!”

“–hyun,” finishes Yixing. The smile on his blessed face is small, but the appearance of a dimple on a right cheek tells Baekhyun that Yixing’s happiness is anything but small. Sadly, the smile is also directed at _someone else_ (ugh). “Hey, Sehun.”

“Are you going to have your usual today, hyung?” Sehun asks, his sudden question startling Baekhyun because _the fuck this boy sure ain’t going easy on me ain’t he_. “Sweet potato latte?”

“Um, actuall–”

“Or are you going to have a hojicha frap without whipped cream?”

Baekhyun very much wants to slap Sehun. Can the boy shut up for a moment and let Yixing speak!? Sheesh, why is he trying to be a smart aleck? (Not that Baekhyun minds because the boy is honestly embarrassing himself, _hah_.) Unlike his impatient co-worker, Baekhyun decides to wait instead, knowing that Yixing will order when he’s ready to. Patience isn’t a virtue for a reason, y’know.

Besides, Baekhyun has observed Yixing long enough to recognise the tell-tale sign of when he’s ready to order—Yixing would always lift his index up to his face, eyes no longer flitting from side to side as they focus on the order that their owner would blurt out approximately two seconds later. And it happens, a little while after Sehun goes quiet—probably getting the idea that he’s embarrassing himself in front of Yixing— and that is when Baekhyun strikes, going in for the kill and leaving Sehun to eat his dust. 

“May I take your order now, Yixing?” 

“Ah, yes,” replies Yixing, eyes darting down to Baekhyun’s face for a brief moment, making eye contact, before they return to the menu up above. “I’ll have an earl grey tea latte, grande size, please.”

Baekhyun grins. “Coming right up!” And he quickly enters the order into the register, accepts Yixing’s cash, gives him the change, and whirls around to proceed with the making of Yixing’s latte. Baekhyun does all that in less than ten seconds, having practiced and practiced _and practiced_ with customers (and sometimes with Yixing himself). He’s upping his game, giving it his all because there’s absolutely no way he’s going to give Sehun any opportunity to snatch his position as Yixing’s Official Server (or his title as Yixing’s future Boyfriend). Over his dead body, and definitely _no fucking way_.

Sehun’s loud huff, as he takes over the cash register to serve the next customer, is music to Baekhyun’s ears. 

 

\---

 

“Hi.”

The ever-familiar voice that suddenly fills his ears almost causes Baekhyun to drop the tray of bread. Thankfully, it didn’t, but Baekhyun lets his (mock) annoyance show on his face with a scowl. He puts the tray atop the shelf before whirling around, all ready to unleash a tirade of irritation at the culprit, only to stagger back a little when he finds how _close_ Yixing is standing in front of him. But before his back knocks into the shelves (or _god forbid_ his hair meeting with the bread on the tray), a pair of arms circles his waist and pulls him forward. 

“How clumsy.”

The breath when Yixing whispers that gently blows directly onto Baekhyun’s philtrum, travelling down to his lips and Baekhyun unconsciously swallows. His lips suddenly feel like they’re on fire, and Baekhyun’s tongue reflexively slips out to wet them, to cool them down. He doesn’t miss the way Yixing’s eyes abruptly drop from his eyes, seemingly looking at his lips. The heat in his eyes only serves to fan the flame burning his lips, rendering Baekhyun’s feeble attempt of cooling them down utterly useless. He retracts his tongue. Swallows again. His heart beats faster. 

“Z-Zhang Yixing,” stammers Baekhyun, as he attempts to remain calm because _oh my fucking god I’m literally_ sticking _to Yixing’s body GOD FUCKING HELP ME_. Unbeknownst to Yixing, the person in his arms is struggling. Baekhyun is struggling so, so hard to not move. To not move his torso because his chest is literally plastered against Yixing’s. To not move his bottom because _our crotches are—fucking hell—only, probably, separated by four layers_. 

To not move his face because the distance between his head and Yixing’s are only inches apart. One (wrong) move and _something_ ~~amazing~~ might happen. 

“D-Do not scare me when I have a tray of bread in my hands!” is what Baekhyun blurts out in his bid for his body to _not fucking move_. He belatedly discovers that his fingers are clutching Yixing’s sleeves, the weight of his arms pulling them down and exposing the boy’s collarbones. Baekhyun can't help but glance briefly at them. He strongly suppresses the urge to moan.

Yixing’s eyes dart back up to Baekhyun’s at the same time Baekhyun’s does, and upon contact, Baekhyun first-handedly witnesses the change in them—the heat seeps away and good ol’ _Yixing_ returns. There is a twinkle in them, and Baekhyun’s confusion piques when Yixing’s eyelids droop a little, making his overall expression soft and, if Baekhyun dares to assume, _fond_. 

“I'm sorry,” Yixing apologises, his lower lip sliding out into— _goddammit Zhang Yixing!!_ —a pout. “I hadn't meant to scare you. I just wanted to surprise… you?” 

The tilt of Yixing’s head as his tone lilts is as adorable as Baekhyun has imagined it to be (yes, he _has_ imagined it). His fingers tighten their grip on Yixing’s sleeves, pulling them down a little more and causing more of Yixing’s skin to be exposed; Baekhyun can't help but dart his eyes downwards, biting on his tongue when he sees Yixing’s collarbones in all their ~~sexy~~ glory.

Not knowing what to say or do, Baekhyun just continues to stare at Yixing's collarbones. It's not very… appropriate to be doing that, not when the sight of those ~~sexy-as-fuck~~ body features are _doing things_ to Baekhyun. He doesn't move, not at all. He doesn't say anything either, and the silence that descends upon the bakery is deafening in his ears. 

Baekhyun feels the warmth around his waist in the form of Yixing’s arms. He feels Yixing’s fingers curled around his sides, pads pressing gently into them. It shouldn’t be weird, shouldn't be strange for Baekhyun to feel so safe, so secure in Yixing’s arms because he's always imagined it to be so. From the way he talks about his grandmother, to the way he treats _Baekhyun’s_ grandmother, and to how everyone in school and probably the city likes him; from how he’s always so humble and diligent even though he’s top in class, to how he treats everyone equally and kindly and without judgment, and to how he’s just so _good_ at everything yet he doesn’t boast—it's not surprising for Baekhyun to regard Yixing as someone who's stable, safe.

_Lovab–_

“Baekhyun.”

Yixing’s whisper snaps Baekhyun out of his thoughts, its gentleness softly caressing his ears before filling them with the voice that Baekhyun would recognise even in his sleep. He lifts his head, and the intensity of Yixing’s gaze instantly freezes him. Baekhyun wasn’t expecting Yixing to be gazing at him this intently. He wasn’t expecting Yixing to mouth his name again, and Baekhyun swears he hears Yixing’s inaudible whisper in his ears. He wasn’t expecting Yixing to edge his face closer and closer to his, those eyes of his growing larger and larger in size, the tip of his nose bumping gently into his, and the heat on Baekhyun’s lips gradually feel warmer and warmer until they’re searing. 

Baekhyun holds his breath, doesn’t dare to breathe. Four seconds later, his lungs begin to scream. As someone who doesn’t hold his breath often ( _who in the right mind would_ ), it’s a given. Yet, Baekhyun holds on, continues to hold his breath, ignores his screaming lungs. All in the hopes of… _something_ happening. 

Alas, the world seems to truly, genuinely, sincerely hate Byun Baekhyun. For, suddenly, an ear-splitting screech of shoes against the bakery’s flooring reverberates throughout the store, and an ever-familiar deadpan follows shortly after. “Y’all please carry on. Pretend that I did not just enter the store, pretend that I don’t exist.” And from the corners of his eyes, Baekhyun watches a ( _fucking_ ) Do Kyungsoo scurry past. 

Kyungsoo’s steps up the stairs eventually fade and a soft slam of their home’s door travels down to the store, telling Baekhyun that his roommate is no longer within vicinity of them. The breath that he doesn’t know he’s been holding is about to escape through his mouth when a soft chuckle comes from in front of him. Baekhyun reflexively darts his eyes in that direction, curiosity of why Yixing is chuckling piquing, only for that curiosity to vanish immediately when he catches sight of the boy. 

Rays of the afternoon sun has begun to stream into the bakery through the store’s glass windows. They bathe both Baekhyun and Yixing in its yellow white yellow white, and in the light, in Baekhyun’s eyes, Yixing looks like he’s _glowing_. Several dust motes are swirling around the boy’s crown, where some strands of stubborn flyaway hair are sticking up adorably and Baekhyun finds his fingers twitching; he wants to pat them down, wants to ruffle Yixing’s hair to see if more will stick up. Baekhyun doesn’t do that, of course, he just forces his eyes to trail down. 

And he’s struck. 

Yixing’s (blessed) face is set aglow by the sunlight, yellow white yellow white highlighting his facial features. Yixing’s eyes are closed, their corners slightly downturned into crescents, but his lashes are accentuated by the light, and Baekhyun discovers just how long they actually are, for they’re trembling against the skin below Yixing’s eyes, strands of black stark on pale skin. Concerned that he’ll do something unnecessary, Baekhyun moves on, reluctantly drags his eyes downward. He first meets with Yixing’s dimple, that one feature that caused all this to happen, that one feature that caused Baekhyun to fall, fall, _fall_. That singular facial feature that made Byun Baekhyun fall in love with Zhang Yixing. 

And if the dimple has appeared, that would mean that Yixing is smiling. Baekhyun’s eyes meet with Yixing’s lips next, and the way they’re curled upwards, lips parted and not in contact with each other to show the set of pretty, white teeth behind them, confirms Baekhyun’s deduction. He darts his eyes back up again, to take in the big picture, to marvel at the good-looking boy that is Yixing. Baekhyun is not disappointed. 

For, in the light, Yixing’s smiling face is absolutely beautiful. 

In that moment, Baekhyun utterly falls, and knows that there’s no going back. Truth be told, Baekhyun doesn’t want to go back either.

 

\---

 

It takes six tries for Baekhyun to know Yixing’s favourite colour. On the seventh try of Baekhyun placing a coloured heart on Yixing’s saucer, next to his cup of potato latte, he discovers the boy’s favourite colour. And, not one to forget any precious information of Yixing, Baekhyun diligently notes it down in the notepad on his phone, creating a new line of _YIXING’S FAVOURITE COLOUR_ under line after line of bits and pieces that Baekhyun has found out about Yixing. Smiling, he types a _purple~_ after that introductory line, before pocketing his phone and returning to face the customers.

Propping his chin on a knuckle, Baekhyun stares at a spot. The image of Yixing sipping on his latte, the corners of his lips inexplicably tugged upwards, a thumb and index pinching the purple paper heart, swims into his mind. A small smile had immediately adorned Yixing’s face when he picked up his latte, and Baekhyun hoped that it was because of the foam heart that he had managed to create on the surface. (Reading books, watching how-to videos, and staying back to practice [without Boss Joonmyeon knowing] totally paid off.) Yixing didn’t thank him, but that smile on his face was all the thanks Baekhyun needed.

 _I want to see more of those smiles_ , thinks Baekhyun, _I really want to see more of Yixing’s pretty smiles_. And so, in his daze, Baekhyun decides to cut more purple hearts (because it’s the first time Yixing has taken away a coloured heart!) to accompany Yixing’s beverages, decides to continue his practice of foam hearts, decides to learn how to bake heart-shaped cookies from his grandmother.

Decides to work harder and do more to let Yixing know just how much he truly loves him.

 

\---

 

When the door to Yixing’s apartment swings open after a courteous ring of the bell, a person that Baekhyun hadn’t expected to (ever) see greets him with a wide smile. A _familiar_ wide smile. 

“Ah, Baekhyun! We've been expecting you! Please, come in!”

Baekhyun takes a step, but the shock of seeing his boss— _yes, my boss Kim Joonmyeon_ —makes his legs weak and he stumbles forward. Luckily, Joonmyeon catches him, hands coming forward to grab onto Baekhyun’s forearms. He rights Baekhyun, and after he ensures that his employee won't be falling again anytime soon, Joonmyeon gently pries the bag out of Baekhyun’s hands. “I'll take this from you, in case you stumble again and crush whatever is in this.”

It's a cake. The cooler bag holds a cake (specially made for Yixing and his grandmother) by Baekhyun’s grandmother as a form of gratitude for inviting her grandson over for dinner. Baekhyun would know, because he made it together with her, leaving the bakery to Kyungsoo for the afternoon. Kyungsoo didn't mind; he was the one who pushed Baekhyun to assist the elderly woman in the first place, said that _you need to inject some of your soul into the cake to show just how sincere you are_. So, yep, the cake was technically made by Baekhyun—his grandmother instructed him and assisted him. 

“I– I–” Baekhyun stammers, toeing off his shoes without looking at them. He stares at his boss, the shock of seeing him slowly tapering off, but _still_. “Why are you here, b-boss?” 

The ever-familiar smile is still on Joonmyeon’s face. “The world is truly small.” He gestures for Baekhyun to follow him, and Baekhyun dumbly trails after, eyes still fixated on his boss. He's led to the living room where Joonmyeon gently pushes at his shoulders and sits him down on the couch while he remains standing, looking down with the same smile that hasn't faltered an inch. “I'm the Zhangs’ landlord! They're renting two rooms from me, but I practically told them to treat the entire apartment as their own.”

Baekhyun’s brain whirs, attempting to register what Joonmyeon just said, but when the information finally clicks and he's about to say something in return, Joonmyeon is no longer beside him. His boss probably went to the kitchen; there's a ruckus coming from down the hallway. Shrugging, Baekhyun turns his head, looking around as he takes in the living room. It's not much, but Baekhyun can feel that it's lived in—can tell that the couch is often sat on; the television remote control that's on the coffee table regularly pressed on (its buttons have sunk in); the television console adorned with numerous photo frames. Baekhyun pushes himself off and crawls over on his hands and knees to take a closer look. 

His face immediately breaks into a fond smile when he sees the largest photo: a selca of Yixing being squashed between his grandmother and Joonmyeon. It's cute. Baekhyun moves on. He smiles at the photos, amused by them all. Yet, when Baekhyun reaches the last one, a small frame perched dangerously at the end, his amused smile changes to that of an extremely fond one, and it threatens to split his face. It’s a photo of Yixing alone. The background behind him seems to resemble the living room, the couch that photo-Yixing is sitting on looks like the very same one that’s currently situated behind Baekhyun. His legs are crossed, hands wrapped around himself, and while there seems to be nothing that should have elicited such a reaction from Baekhyun, there actually is. 

For on Yixing’s face is the most genuine, most good-looking, most _beautiful_ laughing expression Baekhyun has ever seen on Yixing. The boy’s eyes are squeezed shut, crescents; cheek bones high, cheeks tinted pink; mouth wide open, lips pulled into an absolutely brilliant smile, pretty teeth on display for all to see; and, most of all, Yixing’s dimples—yes, _dimples_. Thinking that his eyes are lying to him, Baekhyun practically shoves his face right in front of the photo to take an impossibly close look at the _two_ dimples on Yixing’s face. Well. Damn. Fuck. Throws out all the expletives that Baekhyun knows. Yixing has _two_ dimples! Wow. Baekhyun silently whips out his phone and snaps a shot. It’s going to be his phone wallpaper for the rest of his life (or until an even better photo comes along).

A cough suddenly comes from behind him, alerting Baekhyun to the presence of another. Even without turning around, Baekhyun already knows who. The fond smile on his face grows wider (and his cheeks, lips actually _hurt_ ). 

“Dinner’s ready,” Yixing says. He has a hand rubbing his nape—a sign which Baekhyun has identified as him being nervous. Baekhyun bites back a coo because _darn it why does Yixing look so adorable like this_. “If you're done doing what you've been doing, let’s go to the dining room.” He removes his hand from his neck and jerks a thumb towards the hallway. 

“Sure,” Baekhyun replies, nodding his head. He pockets his phone and follows Yixing. Walking behind him, Baekhyun notices that the tips of Yixing’s ears are red, and as he slowly trails his eyes down, he realizes that the red has spread to Yixing’s neck and his exposed shoulders (because he's wearing a _fucking_ tank; Baekhyun is positively dying). Baekhyun wonders about that, but he keeps his comments to himself and happily follows Yixing to the kitchen. 

The sight of Yixing’s grandmother at the entrance to the dining room summons a smile on Baekhyun’s face, and he rushes forward to envelop her into a hug. He easily lifts her a little into the air, causing the elderly woman to burst out into laughter and Baekhyun knows where Yixing gets his melodious laugh from. He gently puts her back down, only to erupt into a bout of giggles when the elder starts patting his butt as she herds Baekhyun to his seat. Baekhyun realises that he’s sitting right next to Yixing, the distance between them barely existent because the dining room, which is part of the kitchen, is actually really small and the table is equally tiny. Opposite him, Yixing’s grandmother is squeezing with Joonmyeon, their shoulders and elbows touching. It’s a cute sight, and they totally don’t seem to mind at all; Baekhyun is endeared by how familiar and close they are even though they’re landlord and tenant. 

On his side of the table, Baekhyun has leaned as far as he can _away_ from Yixing. He’s doing that because he’s fairly certain that any body contact with Yixing will no doubt cripple his mind, damage his brain-to-mouth filter, leading to embarrassment and Baekhyun very much doesn’t want that to happen. So, nope, no touching Yixing. 

But, of course, the world truly does seem to dislike this Byun Baekhyun, for his elbow suddenly jerks and the brief contact with Yixing’s elbow sends a jolt of electricity through his body, causing him to jump a little in his seat, attracting the attention of the other three at the table. 

“Something wrong, Baekhyun?” Yixing asks. He fully turns to face Baekhyun, a hand crossing the non-existent space between them to rest on Baekhyun’s shoulder. Baekhyun feels fingers pressing gently into the flesh of the juncture between his neck and shoulder, a thumb rubbing small circles just above his collarbone; the touch feels inexplicably good. “Did something happen?” 

Baekhyun shakes his head. “Uh, no, nothing happened.” He smiles a little, hoping to dispel the cloud of concern that had descended upon the small dining room. Yixing’s grandmother smiles back, picking up her cutlery and she starts to spoon the dishes onto Baekhyun’s plate. Joonmyeon smiles back, too, and he follows his elderly tenant’s actions, piling vegetables onto everyone’s plates. Yixing, though. He does smile back, but the concern on his face doesn’t fade and he doesn’t look away. Baekhyun tears his eyes away from Yixing’s concerned ones, Yixing’s worrying gaze a tad overwhelming. He focuses on the growing amount of food on his now-filled plate instead, smiling and thanking both Yixing’s grandmother and Joonmyeon. Baekhyun picks up his cutlery and starts to dig in, but a pair of eyes are still on him. 

“I’m really fine, Yixing,” Baekhyun murmurs, hoping that his words are not loud enough to be heard by unintended recipients. He glances at them; Joonmyeon and Yixing’s grandmother don’t seem to have heard anything. Baekhyun returns his attention to his food, about to spoon himself some rice when the hand that’s been on his shoulder slides down and rests in the crook of his bent elbow. With his head already down as he had to oversee his spooning of rice, Baekhyun watches Yixing’s pretty fingers curl around his elbow. He swallows. What is Yixing trying to do? (Giving Baekhyun a heart attack.) 

There’s no answer for Baekhyun, for Yixing soon removes his hand from Baekhyun’s elbow without saying a single word in response to Baekhyun’s assurance. Yet, just before Yixing’s fingers leave his skin, Baekhyun _swears_ he feels _reluctance_. Baekhyun doesn’t say anything, though. He doesn’t do anything, either, just shoves the spoon of rice into his mouth and chews. And if the other occupants of the table sense something strange going on between Baekhyun and Yixing, neither mentions it.

 

“Thanks for inviting me over for dinner.”

“It’s nothing. I’m glad you liked it.”

Baekhyun hums a soft agreement, arms coming up to wrap themselves around him as he stands in the doorway of the Zhangs’— _or is it Boss Joonmyeon’s_ —apartment. He teeters forward and backward on his feet, head tilted downwards a little because he’s actually feeling bashful and doesn’t want to look at Yixing. He doesn’t need his cheeks to be any pinker than they already seem to be, thank you very much. 

The corridor is silent and empty, all doors to the floor’s apartments shut. Baekhyun knows he should leave, but he wants to be with Yixing for a little while more, wants to hear Yixing laugh again (as he had numerous times during dinner because of Joonmyeon’s dad jokes), wants to hear Yixing shrieking in embarrassment (as he had after dinner because of his grandmother’s generous ‘sharing’). 

Wants to hear Yixing call his name again (as he had throughout the entire time Baekhyun was in the apartment and Baekhyun absolutely _loves it_ ).

“Baekhyun.” 

It’s instant. Baekhyun snaps his head up immediately, eyes darting to Yixing’s. They’re bright, as they have been for the past two hours or so. Baekhyun wishes that the light in Yixing’s eyes never go out. 

“Be careful on your way home,” Yixing says. His lips are pulled into a slight smile, one dimple lightly appearing near the right corner of his lips. “Don’t fall asleep on the bus and forget to alight.” 

“I won’t.” Baekhyun shakes his head, cracking a smile in return. “I’ll be sure to stay awake, even though I’m actually pretty sleepy now. It’s all your fault for feeding me that many slices of apples. Now I’m in a food coma, sheesh.” And Baekhyun purses his lips, shoots a mock-annoyed expression at Yixing who breaks out into soft laughter. 

“I’m not sorry.” Yixing sticks out his tongue in response, and Baekhyun spies mischief washing over the boy’s blessed face. “But, no, really, please don’t fall asleep and miss your stop, Baekhyun.” The mischief vanishes as quickly as it appeared, and _Yixing_ reappears in his facial features; Baekhyun resists the urge to press his palms against those cheeks and squish them.

“I won’t, I promise.”

“Okay.”

“I’ll go now, then.”

“Yep, okay.”

“Bye, Yixing.”

“Goodbye.”

Baekhyun smiles at Yixing one last time, eyes flitting all over his face as though he wants to etch Yixing’s very expression (a common but good-looking one nonetheless) in his memory, before he turns to take a step in the direction of the lift lobby. With Yixing still standing at the doorway looking at him while he walks down the corridor, Baekhyun reaches the lifts. After pressing the button for a lift down, he waves at Yixing who waves back. 

A lift arrives seconds later and after another wave to Yixing, Baekhyun makes a move to step inside. Yet, he suddenly hears a patter of footsteps echoing in the corridor before finding himself being whirled around. Baekhyun is too surprised to make a sound, as a pair of arms circle his neck and Baekhyun feels himself being hugged. His surprise disappears at the same time the arms leave his body, and Baekhyun registers that Yixing was the one who hugged him. He’s about to say something when a pair of hands come to rest on his shoulders and Yixing’s face edges unbelievably close to his own. 

He feels wetness on one of his cheek. 

Everything happened far too quickly for Baekhyun to process anything, and in his surprised daze he faintly feels himself being manoeuvred into the lift, and the first and last thing he sees after coming to his senses is Yixing’s smiling face. And it’s so, so, _so_ beautifully red.

“Get home safely, Hyun!”

Yixing’s words ring in Baekhyun’s ears long after the lift doors shut, accompanying him on the bus ride home (and Baekhyun doesn’t miss his stop), warming him during his shower even though the hot water ran out, and enveloping him in a familiar warmth as he lies on his bed. That is when his mind _finally_ registers what happened. 

And Baekhyun screams in unadulterated glee.

(He earns himself a hard punch on the head from Kyungsoo for waking him up, but soon has to _shoo, scoot over_ because Kyungsoo is squeezing himself onto Baekhyun’s bed on the context of wanting to hear _everything_ that had happened over at Yixing’s. 

Baekhyun is so endeared. ~~Do not tell his roommate, thank you very much.~~ )

 

\---

 

The kiss (on the cheek) seems to have changed nothing, yet everything. 

At school, Yixing is back to watching Baekhyun every morning, as Baekhyun sleepily stumbles into the classroom and plops onto his desk without a care in the world for his (non-existent) image. Through the strands of hair that obscure his eyes, Baekhyun discreetly stares at Yixing, only to realise that he’s staring back with a smirk on his blessed face. Yixing looks so fucking hot, Baekhyun’s face instantly starts burning and he worries about his wooden desk catching fire. (What nonsense, sheesh.) Anyway, that aside, Baekhyun notices that Yixing no longer shifts his eyes away when he’s being greeted by his classmates, reverting to those days when he only just fixes his eyes on Baekhyun. Yixing still does, however, look away when Chanyeol arrives and starts chatting with him, a move that Baekhyun greatly harrumphs at and he contemplates concocting a plan to make sure this doesn’t happen. A plan that involves a certain Do Kyungsoo. 

Another strange thing that only began after that kiss (on the cheek) is that of Sehun’s absence from their classroom in the mornings. That boy no longer comes around to disturb Yixing (and annoy Baekhyun while at it), and when Baekhyun ‘casually’ walks past his classroom located in the hallway beneath his, he sees Sehun talking and laughing with one of his classmates instead. Said classmate looks really familiar, though. Huh, weird. But Baekhyun doesn’t dwell on that for long, doesn’t care about it because _whatever_.

Much to Baekhyun’s confusion and delight, Sehun’s strangeness continues at work. For somehow, for a reason that Baekhyun doesn’t know (and doesn’t _want_ to know), Sehun isn’t competing with Baekhyun anymore. He isn’t fighting with Baekhyun over Yixing anymore. The smiles that Sehun directs at Yixing are no longer flirtatious, and Yixing and Sehun only exchange simple greetings before Sehun orders (yes, _orders_ ) Baekhyun to take Yixing’s order while he waits to serve the next customer. To say that Baekhyun is flabbergasted is a little of an understatement. 

Also, much to Baekhyun’s annoyance, Sehun is also much, much, _much_ friendlier to him, friendlier in those _I really really really want to be your friend_ kind of stuff. There’s no more _you’re not my sunbae_ or _no way I want to be the one who serves Yixing-hyung now get away from me_. There’s none of those childish quarrelling anymore. Instead, there’s cutesier ( _ugh gross_ ) Sehun as he plasters himself at Baekhyun’s side, curls both arms around one of Baekhyun’s, and bends down to rest his chin on Baekhyun’s shoulder. Sehun has turned from a ferocious, territorial lion to a shy, meowing kitten. To say that Baekhyun is bewildered is a little of an understatement but, hey, Baekhyun will take it. He’ll accept this weird ass change without a single doubt in his head because _whatever_. 

Now that Sehun is finally out of the picture, Baekhyun is free to have Yixing for the taking! But, thinking back on how Yixing still kind-of-abandons him for Chanyeol every morning, Baekhyun knows he has to find a way to make that not happen. That plan is going to be concocted and carried out by hook or by crook. 

But first, Baekhyun’s got to enlist the help of _my wonderful and brilliant roommate Soo-soo!_

 

\---

 

“Say, Baekhyun. Would you know why nowadays Chanyeol comes to school later than he usually does?”

Baekhyun looks up from his English textbook and a smile immediately forms on his face when he sees Yixing standing in front of him, a knuckle supporting his chin, seemingly deep in thought. It’s adorable; Baekhyun bites back a coo. He stands and reaches for an extra stool to hand to Yixing, who gratefully receives it with a small smile before promptly settling it behind the counter and right next to Baekhyun’s. They sit back down, and it doesn’t take more than four seconds for Baekhyun to scoot his stool closer to Yixing’s, knees touching. “I don’t know the details exactly, but it probably has to do Soo since he always reaches school at that time.”

 _Liar, liar, pants on fire_ , thinks Baekhyun as he attempts to nonchalantly go back to reading his textbook without betraying the guilt growing in his chest. In actual fact, Baekhyun _does_ know the details because, heck, _he_ was the one who created the ‘details’. As part of his ‘get rid of Chanyeol in the morning’ plan, Baekhyun enlisted the help of Kyungsoo who was, of course, extremely unwilling but at the mention of _if you don’t help me I’ll tell Yeol all about your feelings for him_ , Kyungsoo reluctantly relented. Baekhyun didn’t get away unscathed, _duh_. After earning himself a terribly painful whack to the crown of his head and kick to the shins, Baekhyun eventually gained Kyungsoo’s sympathy when his roommate fondly said, _“You must really like Yixing that much to not be afraid of blackmailing me.”_

And Baekhyun had replied, _“Yeah, I do.”_

The sounds of shoes on the bakery’s flooring alerts Baekhyun to the presence of a customer, but he doesn’t know why Yixing suddenly gasps and stiffens next to him. “Xing, what’s wr–” Baekhyun lifts his head and finds Boss Joonmyeon looking down at him with a smile on his face. An extremely saccharine smile. Baekhyun opens his mouth, about to greet and ask his boss why he’s here when Yixing beats him to it.

“B-Boss!”

Baekhyun snaps his head in Yixing’s direction, jaw dropping. _Boss!?_

“Hi, Xing,” Joonmyeon greets. “Fancy seeing you _here_ when you should be somewhere else.” He sets a tray of bread and pastries on the counter, and gestures for Baekhyun to process the purchase. Baekhyun proceeds to do so, but his eyes never leave Yixing even as he stands to ring in his boss’ purchases on the cash register. 

He sees Yixing abruptly stand, straightening himself and putting his hands behind his back while spreading his feet to shoulder-width. There’s a seemingly remorseful expression on his face, and Baekhyun suppresses the urge to throw his arms around the boy and comfort him. 

“I didn’t pay you to come here to keep Baekhyun company, y’know.” Joonmyeon hands Baekhyun a note before crossing his arms. His gaze on Yixing is stern, as though he’s caught Yixing in the act of doing something wrong. But what could have Yixing done wrongly?

“He’s not supposed to be here with you, Baekhyun.” 

“Huh?” 

A chuckle comes from Joonmyeon, as he receives his change from Baekhyun and pockets them in his wallet. Turning to face Baekhyun, Joonmyeon says, “Yixing isn’t supposed to be here because he’s supposed to be manning the counter back at the bookstore I have him working at.” He jerks a thumb at Yixing. “He’s working at my bookstore a couple of stores down the street from here.”

“E-Eh!?” Baekhyun whips his head to Yixing who simultaneously turns to look at Baekhyun too. There’s a sheepish look on his face, a stark contrast to the beyond-surprised expression on Baekhyun’s own. “Y-You work at the K-Kims’ bookstore!?” Then Baekhyun whirls around to point a finger at Joonmyeon. “ _You_ own the Kims’ b-bookstore?!” 

Joonmyeon nods, then taps a finger on his chin. “It’s actually my uncle’s, but he retired about eight months ago and insisted that I take over because it’s such a waste to close it down when it’s the only bookstore in the area.” He slides his wallet into his back pocket and picks up the bag of pastries and bread that Baekhyun has bagged. “Besides, my uncle didn’t open it for profit so, I took over and got Yixing to man the store for me whenever I have to go to the beverage joint, but, apparently, _sometimes_ he’s nowhere to be found.” 

The knowing look that Joonmyeon shoots Yixing has Baekhyun flinching on the inside, guilt beginning to form because although he had absolutely no idea Yixing is working for Joonmyeon at his bookstore, he still feels guilty because Yixing has been spending time here with him. Baekhyun looks down at his hands, twiddles his thumbs in a subtle display of apology that, hopefully, gets seen and understood by Joonmyeon. 

It seems that his boss has seen it and has understood his employee’s thoughts, for Baekhyun feels a hand on his head a couple of seconds later. Joonmyeon doesn’t say anything, just gently ruffles his hair. It stays that way for maybe a minute, until Joonmyeon removes his hand and says, “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I must be going. And, oh, I’ll be bringing my wayward sheep of an employee back with me, if you don’t mind, Baekhyun.”

“O-Oh!” Baekhyun lifts his head, eyes wide and round. He nods profusely. “I d-don’t! Please, take back Yixing since _he_ has work to do.” And Baekhyun sends Yixing a glare, which causes Yixing to scrunch his face up into an (adorable) apologetic expression. 

“Well, then.” Joonmyeon makes a move towards the entrance of the bakery, bag of baked purchases in his hand. Yixing follows, having already kept his stool behind the counter. Baekhyun trails after them, hands clasped in front of him, and he sends his boss a bright smile when Joonmyeon bids goodbye in an equally cheerful manner. Joonmyeon steps out onto the street and stays outside. He calls for Yixing and, after gesturing in the direction of the bookstore and sees Yixing nod in acknowledgment, he leaves.

Yixing is still standing at the entrance, hands behind him, rocking back and forth on his heels. The apologetic expression is still on his face. “Sorry, Baekhyun. I didn’t mean to keep me working at the Kims’ bookstore from you. I just thought it didn’t matter whether I mentioned it or not, y’know.” He gives Baekhyun a regretful look. “I’m sorry.”

Frankly, it doesn’t matter. The fact that Yixing is working at the Kims’ bookstore doesn’t change anything. Though, if anything, the only thing that’s probably going to change will be the frequencies of Yixing’s visits to the bakery, now that Joonmyeon has shown that he’s conducting random checks on his side business. Baekhyun doesn’t mind, honestly, if Yixing doesn’t drop by as often as he usually does because _oi you can’t just abandon a whole bookstore and leave it unattended!_ Sheesh, Yixing, _sheesh._

“You don’t have to apologise,” says Baekhyun. He smiles at Yixing in hopes of making him understand that he’s actually not mad at all. Yixing’s apologetic expression doesn’t let up; Baekhyun playfully nudges him in the side. “I’m not mad, Yixing, so stop pouting.” 

And Baekhyun taps Yixing’s bottom lip.

A second of silence. Then– 

_Oh._

_My._

_God._

Baekhyun inwardly reels back in horror as his unconscious action finally registers in his head. An enormous wave of panic knocks into him with the impact of a KTX train, rendering Baekhyun to panic so, so much on the inside—on the outside, though, his face is still smiling (stiffly). 

Enveloped in his bubble of self-horror, Baekhyun doesn’t realise that he’s being called by Yixing until he feels warmth on his arm, familiar bouts of heat pressing into the crook of his elbow and Baekhyun subconsciously looks down to find Yixing’s (wonderfully pretty) fingers curled around his arm. He looks up when he finally hears Yixing’s call of his name. 

“I got to go,” Yixing says, tilting his head in the direction of the bookstore. There’s a smile on his face, utterly bright and oh-so cute, but there’s something about the glint in Yixing’s eyes that Baekhyun can’t read. Baekhyun wonders about it but soon inwardly shrugs. 

“Okay, bye bye!” Baekhyun waves, returning Yixing’s smile with one of his own. Yixing waves back, chirps a _bye bye Baekhyun_ and steps out of the bakery. Baekhyun pokes a head out and watches Yixing as the boy dashes down the street. He stops a while later, probably in front of the bookstore and in the distance, Baekhyun sees a huge wave of both arms from Yixing–

“BYE BYE BAEKHYUN! HAVE A GOOD DAY!” 

–then, he disappears into the bookstore. 

Yixing’s loud greeting stuns Baekhyun for a moment, before he erupts into laughter that fills the whole bakery and sets his mood for the rest of his day. And Baekhyun is _that_ happy that he keeps randomly bursting out into giggles throughout the rest of the day, causing his grandmother and Kyungsoo to stare at him during dinner, and Kyungsoo again when he’s in their bedroom. It doesn’t take more than two minutes of Kyungsoo’s pointed look for Baekhyun to launch himself at his roommate, squeezing his way onto Kyungsoo’s bed and into his arms, before he starts sharing what happened. 

 

\---

 

 **Yixing:** hi hi hi this is Yixing ^^

 **Baekhyun:** hi yixing

 **Yixing:** i wanted to text you but i realised i didn’t have your number lol so i got your number from chanyeol if you don’t mind

 **Baekhyun:** i dont :)

 **Yixing:** ^^

 **Yixing:** so i was thinking of going to a famous eatery this saturday

 **Baekhyun:** do u mean that eatery with the huge ass bowls of soup and eomuk and eomuk and more eomuk

 **Baekhyun:** AND MORE EOMUK

 **Yixing:** YES THAT ONE 

**Yixing:** you know about that one???

 **Baekhyun:** HELL YES I DO

 **Baekhyun:** ive been pestering soo to bring me there since he went with friends last month but hes been rejecting me and breaking my fragile crystal heart )))))):

 **Yixing:** soo went with friends? i thought he went with chanyeol? strange, i was sure chanyeol had been yelling soo’s name when a text came in while we were studying

 **Baekhyun:** … 

**Baekhyun:** apparently soos principle is now ‘hoes over bros’ huh

 **Baekhyun:** i see where this roommate of mine is heading

 **Yixing:** cut him some slack you know how shy soo is  >///<

**Yixing:** anyway you wanna go with me?? the eatery on saturday

 **Baekhyun:** u… and me?

 **Yixing:** yep! unless you want to invite soo and yeol too? i don’t mind!

 **Baekhyun:** no! i mean yes i want to go but no to asking those two as punishment for not taking us with them that time  >:( 

**Yixing:** HAHAHAHAH that’s cute. and yay! great i’ll text you more details when the day draws near okay

 **Baekhyun:** sure okay

 **Yixing:** hehe! can’t wait! night night baekhyunnie ^^

 **Baekhyun:** u too! goodnight xing xing ^^

 

\---

 

To say that Baekhyun is nervous is an understatement. A _severe_ understatement. It’s probably The Understatement of the Year. Because Baekhyun is nervous, nervous, nervous, nervous, _n e r v o u s_. NERVOUS. Throws out more synonyms of nervous that Baekhyun knows. Yes, he’s _that_ nervous. 

Baekhyun’s a wreck, frankly. He’s been a wreck since last night, when Yixing’s text suddenly came in after dinner and almost caused Baekhyun to overturn the large bowl of chips onto Kyungsoo’s lap (and would have, no doubt, earned himself a hard whack on the head). The text explained the details of how their visit to the famous eatery on Saturday is going to go, words interspersed with numerous parentheses that contained random emoji and exclamation marks and _dammit isn’t that just so cute?_ Baekhyun could hardly contain his squeals (he did because Kyungsoo had this deadpan expression on his face and Baekhyun immediately understood what that meant).

Anyway, now that he’s waiting for Yixing within the station that’s located the closest to the famous eatery, Baekhyun belatedly realises just how much of a wreck he feels like. Although there’s nothing about his appearance that would show his panic—a neatly-ironed white shirt casually tucked into a pair of washed blue jeans, hems slightly cuffed to show his ankles above a pair of off-white sneakers—it’s an entirely different story on the inside. Baekhyun feels his stomach churning, his intestines being tugged and twisted and messed with. His chest feels uncomfortably warm and his heart feels like someone has a fist clenched around it, one wrong move and it’s going to be ruthlessly crushed. Baekhyun feels like he’s going to die.

Yet, the moment Yixing appears in his field of vision, whipping out his wallet to tap it at the turnstiles, earphones in his ears and its wire tangled at his chest, and face sleepy-confused, the uncomfortable feeling that had been so apparent within Baekhyun’s body instantly vanishes. Now, his stomach feels like there are butterflies in it, wings fluttering and making him all tingly. His intestines still feel like they’re twisted, but in the good kind of way as with his burning chest. His heart, though. His heart suddenly starts pounding extremely fast, heart rate suddenly speeding up, causing Baekhyun to panic and wonder if he’s going into cardiac arrest. Nonetheless, Baekhyun still feels like he’s going to die. 

He feels so uptight that he can’t say a thing, can’t lift a hand to wave to Yixing to indicate his location. Thankfully, Baekhyun is standing near the turnstiles so once Yixing clears that, he immediately sees Baekhyun and bounds over. Baekhyun’s mind (uselessly) supplies an image of Yixing as a puppy and almost sends Baekhyun into a frenzy because _damn fuck that is just adorable_. 

“Hi,” Yixing greets, a smile on his blessed face; a pretty dimple appears on his right cheek. “Sorry I’m late.” 

Baekhyun reflexively looks at his watch; it’s five minutes before the stipulated time they were supposed to meet. He looks back up at Yixing’s apologetic face. “You’re not late, though! I was just early, so you’re not late at all, Yixing.” And Baekhyun smiles, despite the _condition_ of his insides. 

Yixing’s wide smile, as he nods and wraps a hand around Baekhyun’s wrist before gently dragging him out of the station, doesn’t help at all. The warmth that is now ever-so familiar and imprinted on Baekhyun’s skin spreads from his wrist to the rest of his body, and Yixing’s fiery heat that’s coursing through Baekhyun’s bloodstreams makes Baekhyun feel like he’s going to combust. But there’s a tiny part of him that’s calm and cool, for the gentleness of how Yixing suddenly slides his hand down and slip his fingers between Baekhyun’s and how he’s keeping pace with Baekhyun by walking next to him sends Baekhyun’s heart aflutter. Yixing is so, so, _so_ sweet. 

And on the streets of a place that’s far from his home, with his hand in Yixing’s, Baekhyun falls even more.

 

\---

 

“That was one amazing eatery.”

“It totally was. I swear, if only I didn’t live so far away from here I’d probably come here every day for that bowl of eomuk.”

At Yixing’s exclamation and seemingly annoyed expression on his face, Baekhyun laughs. He playfully whacks Yixing on the arm, but immediately leaps away when Yixing shifts, thinking that he’s about to return the favour. “Ah! Don't whack me! I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” Baekhyun puts his palms together as though in prayer, and bows in Yixing’s direction. “Don’t hit meeeeeee!” 

It’s Yixing’s turn to laugh, and as Baekhyun gingerly sits back down on the bench he’s sharing with Yixing, expression half-confused and half-amused, he wonders if his actions have been _that_ hilarious. For Yixing has doubled over, now on his hands and knees with snorts randomly interrupting his laughter. His mouth is wide open, spread in an absolutely brilliant smile, and his set of white, pretty teeth is on display for all to admire; eyes squeezed into crescents, faint lines appearing at their corners; cheeks having risen so high that they're further squeezing his eyes and there are these cute indentations on them, making them look like that peach Kakao character. And of course, Yixing’s dimple appears on his right cheek, so deep and always so adorable. 

Just then, Yixing claws his way back up the bench and turns to face Baekhyun. He's still laughing, his beautiful expression still blossoming on his blessed face, but the moment Baekhyun looks at Yixing, he's stunned. For on Yixing’s blessed face is not one dimple, but _two_. There are two dimples. _Two. Dimples._ Baekhyun stares, still stunned, for about a second more to recall the only other time he’s seen a similar expression– 

_The photo. The photo in his home. That photo of his face with two dimples. That photo which I… snapped a shot of._

And, as though he received a Kyungsoo-strength whack to the back of his head, Baekhyun quickly whips out his phone. He almost drops it in his haste, and despite his shaky hands, the camera app manages to appear on the screen a couple of seconds later. Baekhyun doesn’t bother to be discreet, not when Yixing is still laughing so heartily and even after more than a dozen shots of his laughing visage has been taken by the star struck boy sitting next to him, Yixing doesn’t seem to be showing any signs of stopping. Baekhyun starts to get worried.

“Yi– Yixing.” Baekhyun reaches a hand over and rests it on Yixing’s shaking shoulder. Applying a little pressure, Baekhyun attempts to hold Yixing’s shoulder in place. “Yixing,” he says, a little louder than before because Yixing’s laughter is actually pretty loud. 

“ _Xing_.”

It’s abrupt. It’s as though Baekhyun’s voice is magical and resonates with Yixing, for barely two seconds after Baekhyun accidentally let slip an endearment of Yixing’s name, Yixing abruptly stops laughing. His laughter just cut itself off, allowing the silence of their surroundings—the canal where they chose to sit at—to descend upon them. And in the silence, Baekhyun thinks he hears his heart, hears how fast and loud it’s suddenly becoming. How it’s reflecting Baekhyun’s current emotion. 

How it’s telling Baekhyun that _you’re in love_.

And irrevocably so. 

Because Yixing isn’t laughing anymore—he’s looking at Baekhyun. To a passer-by, there’s nothing special about the boy’s expression; it’s just a normal face. But to Baekhyun, _for Baekhyun_ , Yixing’s face is everything _but_ ‘nothing special’. Yixing’s face is shining, the afterglow of laughing for so many minutes, and with him facing the setting sun, where rays of red orange yellow are shooting out from the horizon and hitting his face, his expression is made more beautiful. Having laughed so hard and for that long, Yixing’s cheeks are no longer their usual paleness, for various shades of light pink have bloomed across them as though a paintbrush has freely danced across the expanse of Yixing’s cheeks and nose. 

His eyes are bright. Yixing’s eyes are so bright, so incandescent, and so lucid in the red orange yellow colours of the sunset that Baekhyun can clearly see his pupils quivering slightly within the beautiful brown of his round orbs. Yet, Yixing’s gaze on him is steadfast and unwavering. Even when the sunset’s rays are probably beaming straight into his eyes, Yixing’s gaze on Baekhyun doesn’t falter. And, strangely, the intensity of Yixing’s eyes isn’t scaring Baekhyun. If anything, Baekhyun’s curious as to why he’s being looked at like this by Yixing.

“Yixing, are you okay?” 

Despite feeling as though he’s on fire, what with his heart pumping so rapidly and causing blood to course within his body so furiously, Baekhyun’s voice doesn’t betray it. He asked softly, gently, and full of genuine concern and worry for the boy whom he has to come to love. Baekhyun also contemplates whether to retract the hand he has on Yixing’s shoulder; he keeps it there, thumb absentmindedly rubbing tiny circles on Yixing’s (unfortunately covered) collarbone. “You were laughing for some time. Are you alright?”

Yixing doesn’t reply. He just nods while his eyes continue to be transfixed on Baekhyun. Then, he blinks, blinks, and blinks again. Baekhyun blinks, too, and blinks again because of some inexplicably strange urge that washed over him, making him want to follow Yixing’s actions. Just then, a breeze blows their way and something gets into Baekhyun’s eyes. His eyes instantly shut, tears beginning to form, and Baekhyun’s free hand immediately flies up to rub at them. The other hand that’s on Yixing’s shoulder automatically wants to return, too, but before it arrives at its destination, it’s stopped. 

“Here, let me.” 

And in the next moment, both of Baekhyun’s hands are being pulled down to his lap. His eyes still hurt very much, but in the darkness Baekhyun’s other senses are heightened and it’s actually really frightening to be outside like this, to be in a place where you don’t know very well with your sense of sight cut off. Yet, the instant Baekhyun feels warmth on his eyelids and registers the heat as a familiar one, he calms down and relaxes. 

“Baekhyun,” Yixing whispers, and the warm breath that suddenly envelopes Baekhyun’s lips startles him, causing him to jerk a little. Yixing softly laughs, then quietens down in the next second to whisper again. “Could you open your eyes?”

Honestly, Baekhyun doesn’t really want to. He doesn’t want to open his eyes and lose the wonderful feeling of being near Yixing. Baekhyun really doesn’t want to wake up from this “dream” of his. Yet, Baekhyun is never one to refuse Yixing, and so he obediently opens his eyes. 

He thinks he’s going to go into cardiac arrest soon.

Yixing is so close. He’s so unbelievably close that Baekhyun wants to back away because he _knows_ something will happen. And even though Baekhyun wants something to happen—to _finally_ happen—he’s also certain that he’s not ready for it. He might seriously go into cardiac arrest.

So, Baekhyun settles for silence while trying super hard to calm his raging heart (and hormones) and avoiding looking at any part of Yixing. But that’s practically impossible when the person he’s pointedly attempting to avoid refuses to cooperate. 

“Don’t move. I’m going to blow into your eyes. Tell me if they hurt, okay?”

And Yixing shifts, moves his mouth up to Baekhyun’s eyes. A gentle, short burst of air hits Baekhyun’s left eye and he reflexively shuts it. At Yixing’s _come on open up_ , Baekhyun gingerly opens his eye again (while trying not to blush because of his dirty thoughts at Yixing’s words).  

They stay like this—Yixing blowing ever so gently into Baekhyun’s eyes while occasionally asking if Baekhyun’s alright, while Baekhyun tries to keep his eyes open long enough for Yixing to blow whatever it is in his eyes out. Amid the silence, a question suddenly crosses Baekhyun’s mind and in his haste to shove it to the back of his head, he unknowingly blurts it out instead. 

“Yixing, why are you doing this?”

Baekhyun instantly sees Yixing still, lips frozen in an ‘O’, eyes staring straight at his. There is an emotion swirling within, clouding Yixing’s quivering pupils. Baekhyun swallows, and continues because another question has just crossed his mind again.

“Why did you want to bring me to the eatery?”

Yixing blinks. 

“Why did you hold my hand just now?”

“U-Uh,” Yixing stammers. He blinks, blinks, and blinks.

“Why did you feed eomuk to me?”

Yixing’s mouth is open but no words come out of it. All he does is blink, blink, and blink.  Baekhyun sees how Yixing’s chin is trembling, how his eyes are quivering, and when Baekhyun briefly drops his eyes down, he sees how Yixing’s fingers have gripped his pants so tightly. He mentally scoffs and decides to press on, deliver the killing blow. This courage of his came out of nowhere and caused him to ask question after question without preamble and hesitation. Baekhyun doesn’t know if he ought to be glad or not, but he guesses he’ll know after he gets an answer to the final question that crossed his mind.

“Yixing… Do you like me?”

Silence. Then, Baekhyun suddenly hears something. He slowly lifts his eyes back up, pausing at Yixing’s chest because the sound seems to be coming from there. A knowing look flickers onto Baekhyun’s face and he bites back a smile. _I know what sound I’m hearing._ Schooling his face back into that of indifference, Baekhyun continues to move his eyes up until he’s looking into Yixing’s eyes. They’re still quivering, the emotion still swirling within. Baekhyun leans back a little, wanting to take a breather because this proximity with Yixing is screwing with his head, only to suppress the sudden urge to giggle because _dammit why is Yixing looking like a frightened bunny_. Though, he mentally slaps himself and gets back to the state of indifference that he was in moments before.  
   
Taking in a small breath, Baekhyun straightens himself and steels his expression, his eyes, his pounding heart. _Here I go._

“I like you.”

“Huh?” is the immediate response Baekhyun hears from Yixing, and he’ll be lying if he says that he’s not disappointed to hear it. Baekhyun has expected that reaction, really. If Yixing, or anyone, were to suddenly confess to him, that’s probably what he’d say, too. It’s a reflexive answer, and so Baekhyun doesn’t blame Yixing. Instead, he’s glad for that because it gives him a chance to continue.

“I like you, Yixing.

“I like you so, so much. Although I can’t say that I’ve always had these feelings for you, that I’ve always maintained this positive feeling of liking you throughout, I still want to assure that somewhere within me I’ve always liked you. I liked you since day one, when you stepped into the class and proceeded to wow everyone with your blessed face that is way above the standards of Park Chanyeol and whoever else. I liked you when you smiled and a dimple appeared on your face and upped the standard of your blessed face. I liked you since that day, and today is–”—Baekhyun whips out his phone and checks the app that tells users how many days have passed since something before going back to looking at Yixing.—“–the two hundred and fourteenth day. It’s been two hundred and fourteen days since you transferred into our class and even though this much time has passed, I still find myself so attracted to you and no, before you say it’s because of your face, I can tell you that your face has now become _part_ of the reason–” 

“ _Part_ of the reason?” Yixing suddenly cuts in, startling Baekhyun who immediately throws him a dirty look for interrupting him. Yixing takes no notice, just smiles and says, “My face is _part_ of the reason? How does that work?”

Baekhyun downright _glares_ at Yixing who just laughs and vaguely does a gesture that tells him to continue. Pouting, Baekhyun clears his throat and tries to regain the momentum that he had before Yixing so _kindly_ interrupted him. Sheesh, someone’s trying to confess to you here but you’re cutting into his speech??? Anyway. 

“Do you–”

A gurgled snicker comes from Yixing and Baekhyun thinks he’s going to be seeing red anytime now because _oh my god boy can you don’t!?!_ Of course, Baekhyun doesn’t say anything, he just “playfully” taps a finger on Yixing’s nose and smiles _knowingly_. “Please kindly _listen_.”

Yixing nods, corners of his lips twitching, upper teeth appearing to bite on his lower lip. Ugh, Zhang Yixing will be the death of Baekhyun. _Anyway._

“Your face is part of the reason I like you because do you– do you know how nice you are? You are so nice that you make me want to throw up flowers to present them to you–”

“Isn’t that a disease? I think it’s called–”

“ _Oh my fucking god Zhang Yixing!!_ ” Baekhyun screeches, throwing his hands up into the air. He quickly pulls them back down, forces them to grip onto the back of his shirt as he resists the strong urge to _strangle a certain someone who thinks it’s fun to interrupt me!_ Gritting his teeth, Baekhyun glares with all his annoyance at the culprit. “Why do you keep interrupting me? Is it fun to do that to someone who’s trying so hard, who’s trying his best to confess to you? Is that a nice thing to do to someone who’s trying to tell you how much he likes you, who’s trying to make you realise just how nice you are when you don’t have to be? Is interrupting people your pastime or something? I don’t get how you can even have the thought of wanting to interrupt someone who’s earnestly trying to get his feelings across–”

“Baekhyun.”

‘–to yo–”

“ _Baekhyun_.”

“–u– Ugh, _what_?”

Yixing has the audacity to laugh, but he stops at the sight of Baekhyun crossing his arms and settling into a mood that clearly screams _it’s not funny I don’t know why you’re laughing ha ha ha HA_. Licking his lips, Yixing looks at Baekhyun and makes eye contact with him. Baekhyun’s eyes widen and round when they’re caught, and they’re unable to look away because Yixing’s hand is suddenly cradling a side of Baekhyun’s face. Baekhyun feels his face heating up. 

And as if Yixing hasn’t dealt enough damage to Baekhyun, he just has to inflict an unexpected killing blow and cut Baekhyun down.

“I like you, too.”

Silence. Baekhyun can feel his jaw loosening, slowly dropping. His arms, too. He feels them dropping onto his thighs, fingers instinctively finding something to grab. And they do. In the form of flesh that emanates a warmth that has long imprinted into Baekhyun’s skin, ingrained into Baekhyun’s mind. Rooted in Baekhyun’s raging heart. 

“I like you, Baekhyun. Since the first day until today, Day Two Hundred and Fourteen.” 

Yixing’s fingers tighten their hold on Baekhyun’s fingers, and he moves them to Baekhyun’s thighs as he scoots closer. Baekhyun sees Yixing doing that, but his mind is too dazed to process anything. He sees, hears, feels, but his brain isn’t registering anything. And so, Baekhyun can only dumbly reply, “Wha?”

The smile that forms on Yixing’s face borders on an emotion that Baekhyun doesn’t dare to assume. But as his mind gradually clears and begins to process Yixing’s words and actions, Baekhyun decides to just let go and allow his assumption to surface. The assumption that the way Yixing is gazing at him is fond. That Yixing likes him enough to have a fond smile on his (blessed) face. 

_That Yixing somehow likes me… back._

And it’s as though Yixing is telepathically linked with Baekhyun, he says, “Yes, Baekhyun, I like you back.” Then, he playfully, but lightly, bops Baekhyun’s head with his. “I’ve always liked you, Baekhyun. There was something about you that struck me the first time I saw you while I was surveying the class, and up until now I still don’t know what. 

“Anyway, I didn’t realise that I had feelings for you until I saw you chatting happily with Soo and I felt this negative feeling come over me. It was jealousy and I didn’t feel good. I only stopped feeling that way after I asked Chanyeol about you and Soo; and thank goodness that you two are only best friends. After knowing that, I knew that I had to do something to get your attention. That was why I studied hard to be the best in class so you’d notice me. Although the attention that I garnered from you gradually became that of what I didn’t expect to get, because Soo came up to me and told me all about you not liking being second, I was actually really _genuinely_ happy. Happy because you knew my name and cared about me enough to talk about me with Soo.”

By then, Baekhyun is a wreck. Just as he had been at the station, Baekhyun feels as though he’s about to die (on the inside). He knows that his hands are shaking from the pressure of Yixing’s fingers; they’re pressing a little harder on the back of Baekhyun’s hand. He also knows that his heart is going into overdrive, pounding so fast, so hard, so furiously. Baekhyun also knows that his face is flushed because he’s _fucking blushing_.

To come off as “cool”, Baekhyun quickly spits out, “Ugh, Do Kyungsoo! Wait til I get my hands on you.” He hopes it works.

If Yixing knows just how embarrassed Baekhyun is, he doesn’t say nor show it. He just continues to smile. “Don’t blame Soo when you know he means well and that he hadn’t meant to tell me all those.” He bops Baekhyun’s head again. “If it helps, he didn’t spill about you; he just spoke about how you keep ranting about me. And, honestly, that’s pretty cute of you.” Then, Yixing’s face suddenly lights up as though something dawned on him. “Could that be what struck me? You being cute? Is that what I like about you?”

“... You don’t know what you like about me!?” 

“I think I like you because you’re cute.”

“You _think_?! And also, I’m not cute!”

Yixing laughs. “That was what Chanyeol told me, too. That you’re not cute, but actually full of nonsense and that you can usually be found screaming your head off at work.”

“... Fuck you, Park Chanyeol. Wait til I get my fingers around your throat.” 

“I would like to warn you about Soo getting to you first before you get to Yeol, though.”

“...” Baekhyun shoots Yixing a deadpanned look, then monotonously says, “How can you still be in a mood to joke when we’re doing something like this.”

“Hmm?” Yixing tilts his head, a seemingly _innocent_ expression forming on his face. “What are we doing?”

Baekhyun thinks his deadpan expression is going to be an expression he’s going to make a lot when he’s around Yixing. “... Nothing of _importance_.”

“Aww, come on, Baekhyun. Tell me.”

“No.”

Yixing swings their joined hands a little, a(n absolutely adorable and) cheeky smile on his face. “Baekhyunnie, tell me!”

“No.”

“Hyunnie! Xing Xing wants Hyunnie to tell him!” Yixing swings harder. There’s now a huge pout where the smile was supposed to be (and Baekhyun will be lying if he says it’s not _doing things_ to him). “Tell meeeee! Tell meeeeee!”

(If Baekhyun tells you later that he relented because he was tired of hearing Yixing ~~whine~~ say his name so ~~adorably~~ grossly, he’s lying. [He absolutely _loves_ this side of Yixing.])

“UGH GODDAMMIT ALRIGHT!” Baekhyun lifts both his hands up into the air, only to be a tad embarrassed because he’d forgotten that he’s holding hands with Yixing and he’s now raising both their hands into the air and it must look pretty weird because what the heck are two boys doing seated on a bench next to a canal with their bodies and heads so close to each other’s. _Anyway._

“WE’RE HAVING A CONFESSION TIME. We’re having a mutual confession time right now and— _holy shit_ —I still can’t believe that this is happening because you actually like me back.”

Yixing shrugs, but the smile on his face betrays his delight. “I also can’t believe that you actually like me, too, y’know.”

Baekhyun wants to slap Yixing’s head for even thinking that. But, he doesn’t. Instead, he just scoffs, “What’s there to not like about you? Maybe except the fact that you’re probably a show-off, and that your feelings for me were excuses to do so.”

Yixing pretends to be offended, a look of distaste on his (blessed) face. “Says the person who keeps making foam art on my lattes to probably _show off_ how good he is while poor Sehun _nie_ is tossed aside and prevented from serving me.” And Yixing finishes by replacing his mock distaste with pity.

“Do not–” Baekhyun’s face immediately falls, and as he shoots Yixing a deadly glare, he raises one of his hands (that’s still tightly linked with Yixing’s). “Do _not_ fucking talk about Oh Sehun in front of me.”

“Oh?” Yixing hums, a look of mock confusion on his face now.  “Why not?”

Baekhyun can clearly see the laughter in Yixing’s eyes, but he doesn’t want to back down so easily. Yet, at the same time, he finds that he’s actually getting tired from this unnecessary volley of snark and spite. So, Baekhyun surrenders. He visibly deflates, softly says, “Because you are way out of that little boy’s league. So how dare he try and fight me–”

“Baekhyun–”

“–the nerve of that boy–”

“Hyun–”

“–the– hmp _f_!”

Baekhyun doesn’t hear the fond sigh that comes before the warmth on his lips. It takes him about four seconds before he registers that Yixing’s _lips_ are the warmth, and that they’re _pressing on_ his lips. That Yixing is _kissing_ him. Sadly, just when Baekhyun realises that and wants to kiss back, Yixing is already pulling away.

Immediately arranging his facial expression to that of a kicked puppy, with his eyes drooping even more than they usually and normally are, and lower lip sliding out to the best of its ability, Baekhyun whines, “Do it again. Kiss me again, Xing.”

Yixing chortles. Ah, such a wonderful sound to Baekhyun’s ears. Then, Yixing says, “Okay.” And that is even a more wonderful sound to Baekhyun for that leads to his lips meeting with Yixing’s for the second time. He makes out a smile forming against his own, hears a chuckle that mirrors his. 

Feels a heart that beats in sync with his.

And as the sun sets in the horizon, on a bench beside a canal that’s far from home, with his hands in Yixing’s, with his lips on Yixing’s, Baekhyun realises that _oh, I’ve truly fallen._

_Truly fallen in love._

 

\---

 

“Hyun-ah.”

“Hmm?”

“Just thought you should know that Sehun never liked me. He actually likes a classmate of his–” 

“Is it the boy who looks like he’s a second away from collapsing onto his desk?”

“–ca– Ah! Yes! That seems to describe Jongin. So, yeah, we actually just wanted to use each other to make the boys we like jealous.” 

“... And what if I hadn’t liked you back, or if Jongin didn’t return Sehun’s feelings?”

“Well, I would have gotten together with Sehun, I suppose.”

“ _I KNEW IT._ You like Sehun!” 

“He’s like a younger brother to me! And he makes good lattes, just so you know.”

“... Fine. Don’t get me to make _your_ lattes next time you drop by the joint, then. Get _Sehunnie_ to do it.”

“Aye, you’re so cute when you’re jealous.”

“I ALREADY TOLD YOU THAT I’M NOT–”

“I know why I like you, Baekhyun.”

“... And why do you like me, Yixing?”

“There’s no why; I just like you. I just really, really like you, that is all.”

“... If there’s anyone that can leave me speechless, you’re the first, Zhang Yixing.”

“And if there’s anyone that can make me like someone without a reason, you’re the first—and hopefully the last—Byun Baekhyun.”

“Why are you so cheesy.”

“Why are you so cute?”

“ZHANG– Mmpf!”

“...”

“...”

“Leave your _shouting_ of my name for another time in another place, alright, Baekhyun _nie_?”

“... Kiss me again and I’ll agree to that.”

“Okay.”


End file.
